Supportive Care for Breast Cancer: 75 Real Stories
75 stories match breast cancer and supportive care. 50 of them mention surgery.
BRCA1 Breast Cancer: Alina’s Survivor Story
Alina Schiller was 30 when she shared life after early-stage breast cancer. She found a lump while changing clothes and went to a gynecologist, who referred her to a breast center. Biopsy confirmed breast cancer in 2018, and BRCA1 testing found a mutation at…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Claudia’s Survivor Story
Claudia Kressmann was 51 when she reflected on breast cancer diagnosed at 35, while her 3 children were still young. She had felt a lump herself, and because of her age there was first hope that it would be something less serious. The diagnosis was breast…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Helga’s Survivor Story
Helga Dietrich was 60 when she reflected on breast cancer first diagnosed at age 41, soon after her family moved to a new city. Her 2 children were still minors, and knowing they were well cared for during treatment gave her relief. At the first diagnosis…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Baerbel’s Survivor Story
Baerbel Grafenbach was 60 when early-stage breast cancer was found in late 2011 through mammography and biopsy. Her doctor described it as a non-aggressive cancer at an early stage and called it a good diagnosis. Because of that, Baerbel was able to take time…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Greta’s Survivor Story
Greta Tietze-Stein was 52 when she described breast cancer diagnosed in 2006. A breast inflammation led her to notice a palpable change and see her gynecologist. Ultrasound showed an unclear finding, followed by mammography and biopsy. Because the diagnosis…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Bianca’s Patient Story
Bianca Winkler was 38, self-employed, and raising 2 young daughters when a routine gynecologic exam found an abnormality in her breast. Mammography followed, but the biopsy still did not give a clear answer. At the end of 2012, breast-conserving surgery…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Gerda’s Patient Story
Gerda Martin was 73 when she reflected on breast cancer diagnosed in 2008. She first noticed a change during a sauna visit: her nipple was pulling inward. She went to her gynecologist, and further testing led to the diagnosis. Surgery removed her right…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Manuela’s Patient Story
Manuela Weber was 63 when she described living with metastatic breast cancer. Her first breast cancer was diagnosed in 2000 after a lump led to mammography and biopsy. Cancer was found in both breasts, but no lymph node involvement was described. Both breasts…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Dianne’s Survivor Story
Dianne Austin had been healthy and had kept up with annual mammograms since turning 40, so her 2015 breast cancer diagnosis was a shock. A mammogram found something suspicious that was initially thought likely to be a cyst. Further evaluation showed breast…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Roger’s Patient Story
Roger was diagnosed with prostate cancer and then breast cancer within 6 months, an experience that shocked him because he had not realized men could get breast cancer. His breast cancer stage and subtype were not reported. The treatment detail that is…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Susan’s Survivor Story
Susan Ruffini was treated for breast cancer at MSK Commack in 2006. Her breast cancer subtype, stage, surgery details and chemotherapy regimen were not provided. The focus is what came after treatment: Susan was declared cancer-free, but then developed…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Rachel’s Patient Story
Rachel’s Stage IB breast cancer was found after she delayed a routine mammogram for about 6 months. She had no symptoms, but 3D mammography showed a suspicious spot in the right breast. Ultrasound confirmed the finding, and biopsy showed infiltrating ductal…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Marina’s Survivor Story
Marina is a Stage II breast cancer survivor who has gone through chemotherapy twice and now shares what helped her feel more prepared. Her chemotherapy included A&C followed by Taxol, and she learned that hair loss could begin around 14 to 20 days into each…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Judy’s Survivor Story
Judy ViaCava's breast cancer story is about what happens after the medical crisis begins to quiet down. Fourteen years after her own breast cancer experience, she joined The Cancer Journey Podcast as both a survivor and a certified Cancer Journey Coach. Her…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren Huffmaster has been living with metastatic breast cancer since 2015. In the 10 years after diagnosis, she turned part of that experience outward, founding Adventure Therapy Foundation, becoming a speaker and author, and helping other people with cancer…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Janet’s Patient Story
Janet Ayala was 35 when she felt a breast lump while getting ready for a shower in summer 2024. After difficulty getting a diagnostic mammogram appointment, she finally had imaging in September and was told right away it was breast cancer. The diagnosis was…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul Forgette was 68 when arthritis-related preoperative blood work unexpectedly revealed low-grade prostate cancer that only needed observation. Soon after, he bumped his chest and felt a lump. A mammogram first suggested male breast cancer, and further PET…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dalitso’s Patient Story
Dalitso was 38 when invasive ductal breast cancer was first found in 2020. She had noticed a hardening breast mass years earlier, along with weight loss, fatigue, and back pain that had been attributed to other health issues. A mammogram first suggested Stage…
Read this storyStage IV BRCA2 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Marissa’s Patient Story
Marissa was 31 and raising young children when fatigue, nighttime hot flashes, restless legs, and a lump in her right breast led to testing. On February 17, 2024, biopsy confirmed Stage II invasive lobular carcinoma in the right breast, with positive lymph…
Read this storyStage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Patient Story
Melissa Fouts was diagnosed with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer in 2019 after previously being treated for triple-negative breast cancer twice before: Stage I in 2004 and Stage II in 2016. At the Stage IV diagnosis, she believed time was short and…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Angela’s Patient Story
Angela George was 42 when family history led her to take a closer look at her cancer risk. Her father had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer, and several relatives had also had cancer, including her mother and grandmother with breast cancer. In July…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Margarita’s Patient Story
Margarita “Mickey” Miller was an active coach and sprint-triathlon participant before breast cancer was found during a routine checkup. Her first concern was how to tell her husband and children. During treatment, even walking to the bathroom could feel…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Dolly’s Survivor Story
Dolly Chua was living in Makati, Philippines, when she felt a breast lump in the shower in 2019. Mammogram and ultrasound confirmed breast cancer, and she wanted the best treatment she could find even if it meant traveling. Her daughters independently found…
Read this storyStage II BRCA2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Onjalai’s Survivor Story
Onjalai Brown was 36 when she felt pain behind one nipple and then a lump about the size of a ping-pong ball. Her family history made the fear especially real: on her mother’s side, eight women had breast cancer and four men had prostate cancer, likely…
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