mastectomy for Breast Cancer: 355 Real Stories
355 stories match breast cancer and mastectomy. 338 of them mention surgery.
HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Sara’s Patient Story
Sara Glenn was 38 when she felt a peanut-sized breast lump during a self-exam in summer 2024, while her family was moving from North Carolina to Southern California. Mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy showed a 2 cm grade 1A-1B ER-positive, HER2-negative breast…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Queen’s Patient Story
Queen was 31 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer after growing up with a strong family history of the disease. Her mother and aunt had both faced breast cancer, so the diagnosis carried personal and family weight from the beginning. Queen’s story later…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tanya’s Patient Story
Tanya was 44 when she was diagnosed in 2016 with Stage IIIA invasive lobular carcinoma in her left breast. She had noticed a painful lump for about 1 year, but her first concern was dismissed because she had no family history and was told breast cancer was…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Lauren’s Survivor Story
Lauren Yerkes turned her experience with triple-negative breast cancer into a practical mission for people trying to feel comfortable in swimwear after surgery. She was diagnosed at 38 and later founded POST SWIM after facing the gap between ordinary swimwear…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Honey’s Survivor Story
Honey Hilliard was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 after feeling a lump in the middle of the night. Her doctors told her the finding was serious enough that she could pursue more biopsy and radiation or choose a bilateral mastectomy. Honey wanted the…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Kelsey’s Patient Story
Kelsey was 27 when she felt a slightly tender breast lump in May 2023. Her primary care doctor initially thought it might be a cyst, but ultrasound and mammogram showed something more serious: Stage IIB estrogen-positive breast cancer. The diagnosis was…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: LaShae’s Patient Story
LaShae, a PhD student in cancer prevention research, first noticed a small movable breast lump but pushed it aside while trying to keep up with graduate school and powerlifting. By late 2023, the lump had grown and become painful, so she finally brought it up…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Krista’s Patient Story
Krista’s breast cancer journey began with her mother’s history. Her mother had breast cancer twice and later learned she carried a pathogenic ATM mutation. After her mother died, Krista chose genetic testing and found that she carried the same mutation…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Mandy’s Patient Story
Mandy was 44 and raising 2 children when a routine mammogram in April 2024 led to more imaging. She had recently lost about 30 pounds, so she was not alarmed when she was called back for a diagnostic mammogram on May 28. After several rounds of images, the…
Read this storyStage 0 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Kathleen’s Survivor Story
Kathleen first lived with years of imaging follow-up for a small shadow in her left breast, then developed bloody nipple discharge. Biopsies and imaging did not clearly show invasive cancer, but DCIS became concerning enough that mastectomy was recommended…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica Deligne's breast cancer experience led her to choose aesthetic flat closure instead of reconstruction. After surgery changed her body, she leaned into style as a way to rebuild confidence rather than hide what she had been through. Her work now centers…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Claudia’s Survivor Story
Claudia had a routine mammogram at 40 that came back clear, even though she was told she had extremely dense breast tissue. One year later, during a regular OB-GYN visit, her provider felt 2 lumps. Follow-up imaging and biopsy confirmed multifocal invasive…
Read this storyStage III HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Katie’s Patient Story
Katie, a nurse in Cleveland, was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage III invasive lobular carcinoma in March 2024. She had been referred to a high-risk breast clinic because her mother and 2 sisters had developed breast cancer, but her first mammogram and…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chance’s Survivor Story
Chance was 24 and already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation when she saw a lump protruding from her chest during a beach trip. A January 2021 MRI had looked normal, so the sudden change felt alarming. Her care team moved quickly: ultrasound, mammogram, MRI…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Kelly’s Survivor Story
Kelly was 33 when she folded her arms and felt a golf ball-sized lump near her left armpit. She had no family history of breast cancer and did not test positive for an inherited gene mutation, but imaging and biopsy confirmed triple-negative breast cancer…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Karen’s Survivor Story
Karen moved from Seattle to Honolulu in July 2023 to lead an oncology service line. Two months later, at age 43, she found a breast lump despite having had a clear screening mammogram 9 months earlier. She had dense breast tissue and a family history of young…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Kate’s Patient Story
Kate first felt a breast lump while breastfeeding. An ultrasound found a 4 mm mass, but she was told she was too young for a mammogram or biopsy and that it was likely a cyst. In November 2023, the lump had grown to 2-3 cm, but she was again told not to…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Kate’s Patient Story
Kate first found a breast lump while breastfeeding her daughter in 2022. She was told it was probably a cyst and that she was too young for mammography or biopsy. The lump continued to grow, but repeated assessments still did not lead to tissue testing. In…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Marissa’s Survivor Story
Marissa Sweitzer’s breast cancer was found just after she gave birth to her daughter, Melody, in February 2024. Late in pregnancy, she had noticed a breast lump while applying lotion. Because breast changes are common during pregnancy, her doctor arranged for…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Juliette’s Survivor Story
Juliette Landgrave was 38, healthy and years away from routine mammography when she felt a breast lump in the shower. Imaging found two tumors: the one she could feel and another deeper tumor seen only on MRI. She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Nina’s Survivor Story
Nina was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Her first sign was a hard strip under her left armpit, not the small pea-like lump she had been told to watch for. At first, she was reassured because she was young, had dense breast…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Brenda’s Survivor Story
Brenda was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma in September 2023. She had never heard of the subtype before. Her radiologist noticed what looked like a scar on her mammogram and recommended a biopsy. That extra step found the cancer at an early stage…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Italia’s Survivor Story
Italia Russell was 30 when she found a breast lump in August 2023, 1 month after learning she carried a BRCA mutation that increased her lifetime breast cancer risk. Her mother had been treated 15 years earlier for Stage II triple-negative breast cancer and…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dee’s Patient Story
Dee was 31 and breastfeeding in 2017 when pain in her left breast was followed by a large lump. Her symptoms were initially minimized because of her age, but she kept pushing for answers and eventually had an ultrasound through a private hospital. She was…
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