mastectomy for Breast Cancer: 355 Real Stories
355 stories match breast cancer and mastectomy. 338 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Breast Cancer: Cristina’s Patient Story
Cristina, 45, is a mother from Colombia who was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing subtle dimpling in the areola of her left breast. She initially paid little attention to the change because it was small and painless. A painful, swollen…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Antonia’s Survivor Story
Antonia was 39 and raising 2 children when she noticed a protruding mass in her breast, along with irritation and swelling. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The news left her frightened, confused and overwhelmed, with a strong sense of…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Aalia’s Survivor Story
Aalia was 48 when fatigue and a lump she felt while undressing led to a diagnosis of Stage III breast cancer. The diagnosis frightened her, and she worried about what treatment and the future would mean. Her doctors discussed multiple surgeries and other…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Survivor Story
Diana was 40 when persistent pain in her right breast led her to feel a small lump. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and initially felt powerless, vulnerable and sad. Her doctors explained that treatment offered a chance of survival if the cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Eve’s Patient Story
Eve, 43, is a mother from Ireland who was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast. At first, she felt neutral about the diagnosis and did not seek a second opinion. She focused on changing her diet, aiming for healthier eating 3 to 5…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Martha’s Patient Story
Martha noticed a highly visible mass in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. She sought a second opinion from a more experienced doctor and also researched her options before deciding on treatment. Following medical recommendations…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Liliana’s Patient Story
Liliana noticed a change in her nipple and a strong stabbing pain in her left breast. A preventive examination led to further evaluation, and a second opinion confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. Her doctor discussed a 90% five-year survival estimate. Liliana…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Katie’s Survivor Story
Katie Robb Sewall was 27 when a double mastectomy in 2014 changed what she thought was stage 0 breast cancer into a Stage III diagnosis. Pathology showed the cancer had spread from the breast ducts into lymph nodes. Katie and her husband, Craig, had to move…
Read this storyBRCA Breast Cancer: Christie’s Patient Story
Christie Siebel learned through genetic testing that she carried a BRCA mutation after breast cancer had affected other members of her family. At age 30, shortly after the birth of her daughter, she noticed a breast lump while breastfeeding. A biopsy showed…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Sandra’s Survivor Story
Sandra Monsonís was 43 and had not had a medical checkup for more than 5 years when a friend encouraged her to see a gynecologist. She had some breast discomfort but did not feel a clear lump. That visit found a lump that became a triple-negative breast…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Theresa’s Patient Story
Theresa Reynolds was 85 when she learned she had breast cancer and needed a mastectomy. Her first instinct was to avoid treatment. Her mother had also had breast cancer, and Theresa remembered what that experience looked like. She worried about putting…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Brisky had worked at Cleveland Clinic Martin Health for 24 years, but being a nurse did not prepare her emotionally for her own Stage I breast cancer diagnosis. After a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy, she learned she had ductal carcinoma that…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Muriel’s Survivor Story
Muriel Verger was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2015, when she was 33 and close to turning 34. She also reported a BRCA1 abnormality. Because the tumor was not large, her surgical treatment was a tumorectomy, also understood as…
Read this storyStage I HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Tammy’s Patient Story
Tammy was first diagnosed with Stage 0 DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ. After surgery, her pathology report found a second tumor: Stage I invasive ductal carcinoma. She had already undergone a double mastectomy and was waiting for one final test result when…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Maureen’s Patient Story
Maureen is an entomologist who spent her career on university campuses and now lives in Georgia. At the beginning of the COVID epidemic in 2020, she was diagnosed by biopsy with pleomorphic invasive lobular carcinoma. Hospitals were limiting access to…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jeanine’s Patient Story
Jeanine had annual mammograms for 10 years because of a family history of breast cancer. In 2016, after years of watching microcalcifications, she noticed that a cyst-like area in her right breast would not go away and that the same breast had slight…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Susie’s’s Patient Story
Susie became involved with the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance after her daughter was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma. Her daughter was 42 and living in California when doctors found an 8 cm ILC in the left breast. Her mammogram had been clear the…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Hillary’s Survivor Story
Hillary Robinson was 52 when a routine medical exam found something abnormal in her right breast. She had been busy with family, community work and her family’s manufacturing business, and she had put off yearly mammograms. An ultrasound and mammogram showed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Linda’s Patient Story
Linda Stokes was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2015. Genetic testing then found a germline CDH1 mutation, which also placed her at high hereditary risk for diffuse gastric cancer. In June 2015, Linda chose bilateral mastectomy rather than the…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Harper’s Patient Story
Harper, 58, sought medical help after noticing a red patch on her breast. Testing at a hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand led to a diagnosis of Stage IV breast cancer. The news was overwhelming, especially because she had already lost her father and…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Luz’s Survivor Story
Luz sought medical care after developing arm and shoulder pain and noticing changes in the shape and size of her breast. With guidance from her doctor, she chose a mastectomy, lymph-node surgery, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Making the decision left her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Hwee’s Patient Story
Hwee Lin, 66, sought help after a sharp pain in her breast persisted and did not go away. Her general practitioner referred her to a local hospital for further evaluation, where she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. The diagnosis filled her with fear…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Vivienne’s Survivor Story
Vivienne noticed that something was wrong with her breast in February 2021, when it became engorged and her nipple inverted. She sought medical care, and the evaluation eventually led to a breast cancer diagnosis. The news left her frightened, worried…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Aurora’s Patient Story
Aurora, 41, was pregnant in 2021 when half of her breast became hard. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer, a frightening and overwhelming experience that left her worried and powerless. She changed her diet after diagnosis and began eating…
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