Breast Cancer: 732 Real Stories
732 stories match breast cancer. 559 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Abigail’s Patient Story
Abigail Myers was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2014, just over a year after the birth of her son. Testing showed triple-positive disease, with estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Her initial treatment included a double mastectomy, radiation…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tara’s Survivor Story
Tara was 50 when routine breast imaging found invasive lobular carcinoma. She had dense breast tissue and a history of many mammogram call-backs, so screening had often been difficult to interpret. Shortly after her 50th birthday in August 2022, a routine…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Debbie’s Survivor Story
Debbie Bliss MBE is best known as a knitwear designer, but her cancer story adds another layer to a life built around creativity, resilience, and self-definition. She has had both thymus cancer and breast cancer, and her breast cancer treatment included a…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Christine’s Survivor Story
Christine Handy was 41 when breast cancer changed her life. A model and mother of 2, she had to absorb a diagnosis that reached far beyond medical appointments. Her story focuses on survivorship: the emotional, physical, and identity changes that remain after…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Lesley’s Patient Story
Lesley Glenn was first diagnosed with Stage IIB breast cancer. Soon afterward, doctors found that the cancer had spread to her bones, changing the diagnosis to Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. The shift was heartbreaking and left her feeling that some…
Read this storyBRCA2 Breast Cancer: Sue’s Survivor Story
Sue Friedman was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 despite being proactive about her health and having no known family history of breast cancer. After initial treatment, she read about hereditary cancer and BRCA1/2 testing. The warning signs fit her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Renée’s Patient Story
Renée first had cancer at 18, when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Treatment had to move too quickly for fertility preservation, and she was told it would likely cause infertility. She received intensive chemotherapy, total-body radiation, and…
Read this storyStage IV BRCA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Langley’s Patient Story
Langley Perer was 35 when she was diagnosed in 2017 with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. Genetic testing showed that she had inherited a BRCA mutation, and she underwent a double mastectomy in Los Angeles. In 2020, Langley began feeling generally unwell…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Carol’s Survivor Story
Carol was 70 when she was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer in July 2022. The cancer was stage 1A and was found early, but the tumor itself could not be felt and was not visible on the mammogram. Calcifications in the same area helped draw…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Lucy’s Survivor Story
Lucy E. was diagnosed with grade 3 triple-negative breast cancer 3 days after her 24th birthday. She had found a breast lump and pushed for biopsy even after being told it was likely fibrous tissue. She already knew she carried a BRCA1 mutation, which made…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Lucy’s Patient Story
Lucy was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 days after her 24th birthday. Her risk was already personal: her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer twice and, after the second diagnosis, learned she carried a BRCA1 mutation. Lucy then had genetic testing…
Read this storyStage II HER2-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Lanie’s Patient Story
Lanie Jones had already survived adrenal carcinoma as a toddler when she found a breast lump in July 2008, shortly before starting nursing school. At first, she delayed the ultrasound because she was 24 and could not imagine having cancer again. When the lump…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Annie’s Patient Story
Annie, 48, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in July 2023 after finding a lump in her breast. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was 98%, but the diagnosis still brought worry, fear, grief, vulnerability, and resentment. She…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Daniela’s Survivor Story
Daniela, 51, is a sales administrator from Colombia and a mother of one. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing a spot on her breast and reddishness. Her doctor told her the estimated 5-year survival rate was 70%. The diagnosis left her…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Joanna’s Survivor Story
Joanna was 37 when she found a breast lump while she was on her period. The lump felt suspicious enough that she sought medical care, and testing at the hospital led to a Stage III breast cancer diagnosis in 2023. The news overwhelmed her with fear…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Catriona’s Survivor Story
Catriona was 62 when bleeding from her nipple led to a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis in July 2023. She had not expected cancer and was surprised by the news. The experience prompted her to reassess her priorities and how she wanted to use her time…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Toni’s Patient Story
Toni’s breast cancer journey began less than a year before she shared her story, when a new breast lump with occasional sharp pain led her family doctor to recommend a mammogram. The results showed Stage I breast cancer. Toni felt frightened, worried, sad…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Aria’s Patient Story
Aria, 57, sought medical care after noticing an ulcer on her breast. She also had redness, irritation, thickening of part of the breast, and a change in the shape of the affected breast. In October 2023, she was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Cancer…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen was 56 when she found a hard lump in her right breast. She did not have other symptoms, but medical evaluation led to a Stage I breast cancer diagnosis in October 2023. Her doctor also discussed an estimated 5-year survival rate of 87%. Even with an…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Shuyuan’s Patient Story
Shuyuan first found a breast lump during a self-examination in 2021. An ultrasound at a local clinic suggested that it was benign, and she had no other symptoms at the time. In November 2023, the lump became visibly prominent, prompting another medical…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Patient Story
Diana, 44, is from Colombia, has 2 children, and works in accounting as a financial technologist. She was being monitored for a lump in her left breast that was first biopsied and considered benign. Two years later, the lump worsened, and she also developed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Maeve’s Patient Story
Maeve felt a lump at the top of her breast and was referred from her general practitioner to another hospital for evaluation. After the diagnosis, she began eating more healthfully, increased her exercise, and stopped drinking alcohol. Following medical…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Patricia’s Survivor Story
Patricia was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in May 2023 after her first NHS mammogram led to a biopsy. She had experienced no symptoms and described the mammogram as lifesaving. The diagnosis brought sadness and fear. Patricia underwent a mastectomy…
Read this storyStage I Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Tracy’s Patient Story
Tracy was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer after a routine mammogram found the disease before she had noticed any symptoms. She later identified her diagnosis as triple-negative breast cancer. The news initially left her feeling relatively neutral, but…
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