Breast Cancer: 732 Real Stories
732 stories match breast cancer. 559 of them mention surgery.
Stage 0 Breast Cancer: Kelly’s Survivor Story
Kelly was 38 when a routine company mammogram led to her Stage 0 breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. A technologist noticed something concerning and advised follow-up testing. Kelly then sought a second opinion with a more experienced doctor before the diagnosis…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Magnolia’s Survivor Story
Magnolia, from Colombia, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer after noticing a hard breast mass. Her menstrual periods had stopped at age 45, and the symptoms developed over several months before she sought medical care. The diagnosis left her…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Mary’s Survivor Story
Mary, a retired woman living in Ireland, was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer in September 2019. She sought medical help after feeling unusual soreness and discomfort during floor exercises in a yoga class. The diagnosis was especially…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Aura’s Patient Story
Aura, 49, discovered 2 small lumps in her right breast and was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. Her treatment included mastectomy, lymphadenectomy, hysterectomy, and chemotherapy. Afterward, she remained on hormone therapy. The diagnosis changed her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Emma’s Patient Story
Emma, 48, is from Singapore and was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after pain in her breast and armpit pushed her to seek medical attention. The diagnosis was shocking and brought sadness, fear, nervousness, worry, and a sense of emptiness. She sought…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Eliza’s Patient Story
A routine mammogram identified a suspicious finding that led to Eliza's diagnosis of stage 2 breast cancer. She initially felt helpless, overwhelmed, frightened, and worried about what lay ahead. Her doctors recommended a lumpectomy, radiation therapy, and…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Kathryn’s Survivor Story
Kathryn first noticed swelling between her breasts, changes in breast shape, and irritation in 2019. After seeking medical advice, she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. The diagnosis left her frightened, overwhelmed, isolated, and worried about what…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Ana’s Survivor Story
Ana was 47 when she noticed a lump in her left breast while showering. Part of the nipple also pulled inward and retracted again when she tried to move it. When referral through her health insurer was taking too long, she sought help from a nonprofit…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Lena’s Patient Story
Lena found a lump during a breast self-examination and went to the hospital for further evaluation. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. After considering her doctor’s recommendation and doing her own research, she underwent a lumpectomy to remove…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Carole’s Survivor Story
Carole, 63, is a breast cancer survivor from the United Kingdom. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in 2019 after noticing dimpled skin and a small lump around her breast. She did not have other symptoms, so those visible breast changes were what…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Cath’s Survivor Story
Cath, 63, was diagnosed with Stage II luminal A breast cancer in May 2019 after a routine 2-yearly mammogram led to more imaging and a biopsy. She had no symptoms, and the cancer was described as ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative. At first she felt…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Joyce’s Survivor Story
Joyce McCain, 65, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a mammogram found a mass in her left breast. A follow-up mammogram, immediate ultrasound and biopsy confirmed cancer. After reviewing options, she chose a lumpectomy, a breast-conserving surgery that…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Ken’s Survivor Story
Ken Gremling was 75 when he noticed a lump in his right breast while showering, along with slight bleeding from the nipple. He had examined his breasts for nearly 30 years after a blood pressure medicine caused breast enlargement. Ken promptly contacted his…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Jane’s Survivor Story
Jane Gremling was 66 when a routine mammogram found cancer in her right breast. Her diagnosis came only 6 months after her husband, Ken, had been treated for breast cancer in the same breast. Jane had consistently attended screening mammograms, allowing the…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Buckland was 43 when she received chemotherapy for Stage I breast cancer at Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute. Once a week for 12 weeks, she put on a tight helmet-like cooling cap before treatment began. She wore it for as long as 8 hours…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Ingrid’s Patient Story
Ingrid discovered breast cancer by touch about 1 year before this October 2018 interview. Her doctor described the initial finding as 2 highly aggressive tumors, not just 1. Ingrid chose to work with a physician using an integrative or biomolecular oncology…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Julie’s Patient Story
Julie Martin had recently received a normal mammogram when her sister called to say she had stage 2 breast cancer. Because Julie also had dense breast tissue, the new family history prompted her to return to her doctor and request additional testing. Imaging…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Deidre’s Survivor Story
Deidre Smith was careful about yearly mammograms, which made her 2015 diagnosis especially shocking. She came to Cleveland Clinic Florida for a second opinion after being told elsewhere that 2 calcifications were benign. On November 23, 2015, just before…
Read this storyBreast Cancer Patient Story
This patient was diagnosed with breast cancer about 6 months before her husband, Jeffrey Collins, died from male breast cancer. Her cancer did not have a genetic component. During a difficult period for the family, she was receiving chemotherapy while also…
Read this storyBRCA2 Breast Cancer: Jeffrey’s Patient Story
Jeffrey Collins developed breast cancer despite initially being told that men did not get the disease. His concern was especially important because his mother had died from breast cancer and his sister carried a BRCA2 mutation and had also been treated for…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Jamie’s Patient Story
Jamie Bernard was 32 when she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2015. She was both an MD Anderson employee and a patient, giving her a view of cancer care from two sides. Jamie underwent a mastectomy and received chemotherapy. After treatment, a…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Heather’s Survivor Story
Heather Kokinda was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 while breastfeeding her 5-month-old daughter. She first noticed a lump in the shower and thought it might be a clogged milk duct, but it did not go away despite the usual measures. After the cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Catherine’s Patient Story
Catherine Goff was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma while in college in the 1970s. Years later, she developed breast cancer, described as a secondary cancer associated with the high doses of chest radiation she had received for lymphoma. Her experience…
Read this storyStage III BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Ashley’s Survivor Story
Ashley was 28 when she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in January 2017. At the time, she was nursing her youngest child and initially thought the lump in her right breast was a clogged milk duct. Her biggest concern after diagnosis was how cancer…
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