Supportive Care for Breast Cancer: 75 Real Stories
75 stories match breast cancer and supportive care. 50 of them mention surgery.
Stage II Breast Cancer: India’s Survivor Story
India Robinson was 40 when her first mammogram in August 2022 led to more imaging, ultrasound, and 2 biopsies. On October 25, her birthday, she learned that 1 biopsied area was malignant. Within days, she and her family met with a Cleveland Clinic team to…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica Watson was 51 when pain and a breast lump led to a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer. She had stayed current with mammograms and had breast cancer in her family, so the diagnosis still came as a shock. A formal stage was not shared, but her…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Liz’s Survivor Story
Liz O'Riordan brings an unusual perspective to breast cancer: she has lived it as both a breast surgeon and a patient. After facing breast cancer three times, she became known for speaking plainly about the parts of cancer care that are often hidden…
Read this storyStage 0 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica was diagnosed with Stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ in 2018 after about 10 years of close breast monitoring. Her mother had died of breast cancer more than 20 years earlier, and although Erica’s BRCA testing was negative, repeated mammograms…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison Tierney is an oncology dietitian and breast cancer survivor who shared her experience with cold capping during treatment for Stage IA triple-positive breast cancer. The video focused less on diagnosis and more on how she managed chemotherapy-related…
Read this storySex, dating and intimacy after breast cancer with Charlene Douglas
Sex, dating, and intimacy can change sharply after breast cancer treatment, but many patients are never given enough space to talk about it. This survivorship-focused discussion brings that private part of recovery into the open. Dr. Liz O'Riordan begins from…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison Tierney is a board-certified oncology dietitian and breast cancer survivor whose own diagnosis shaped how she talks about food and cancer. She describes cancer as multifactorial and emphasizes that survivors often never know exactly what caused their…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Catherine’s Survivor Story
Catherine was 45 when she shared her experience of living after metastatic breast cancer. She first had breast cancer in 2016. In 2019, she had a recurrence with a tumor located near the cerebellum, placing her story in the metastatic breast cancer setting…
Read this storyPsychological coping after a breast cancer diagnosis with Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield
This breast cancer support episode focuses on what happens emotionally after diagnosis. Dr. Liz O'Riordan begins from the kind of thoughts many patients recognize: fear of dying, fear the cancer will come back, and long nights spent trying to make sense of…
Read this storyStage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Corky’s Patient Story
Corky Thacker was 64 when breast discoloration that first seemed like a heat rash eventually led to a Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer diagnosis. She was careful about annual mammograms, but inflammatory breast cancer can be hard to detect because it often…
Read this storyStage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: April’s Patient Story
April Donaldson was 40 when she found 4 lumps along the side of her left breast in January 2020, only months after a normal mammogram. Around the same time, she received genetic testing results showing she was BRCA1 positive. Biopsy confirmed triple-negative…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Britney’s Patient Story
Britney Beadle was 18 and still in high school when she found a breast lump in February 2015. An ultrasound and mammogram were arranged, but she was told 18-year-olds do not get breast cancer. A few months later, the lump had grown and her nipple inverted…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Megan-Claire’s Survivor Story
Megan-Claire, also known as Warrior Meg, expected cancer might come from the ovarian or cervical cancer patterns in her family. Instead, she was diagnosed with Stage II invasive lobular breast cancer shortly after turning 39. Earlier, a preventive mammogram…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Lucinda’s Patient Story
Lucinda Rudolph was 68 when an annual breast cancer screening in April 2020 led to a frightening local assessment. She had been treated for breast cancer 10 years earlier with lumpectomy and radiation, and this new cancer was initially described as…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Margaret’s Patient Story
Margaret, a mother of two from Ireland, noticed a large breast lump that appeared almost overnight, together with itching. She was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Although the news was difficult, she tried to remain optimistic and hopeful. Her…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Loriana’s Survivor Story
Loriana Hernandez-Aldama was an Emmy Award-winning broadcast anchor and trying to have a second baby when symptoms she had dismissed led to an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. She says she was misdiagnosed twice before connections helped her get to Johns…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Anabel’s Patient Story
Anabel’s breast cancer story was shaped by family loss. Her sister and mother had both died from cancer, and Anabel had cared for them before facing her own diagnosis. About 1.5 years after losing her mother, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Claire’s Patient Story
Claire Jacob first had breast cancer at 36, while running a communications agency focused on the art market and raising a 9-year-old daughter. She said she did not stop working during that first cancer. The more difficult moment came in 2016, when the cancer…
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 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 IV Breast Cancer: Marlene’s Patient Story
Marlene was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer before she turned 60. Her first symptoms were chest pain and a persistent dry cough. After diagnosis, she reduced her smoking and began eating healthier meals each day. The news brought emptiness, grief…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Martha’s Survivor Story
Martha’s breast cancer was found during a regular examination after she experienced pain extending from her breast to her back, swelling, and a change in breast size. Her family history included a sister with breast cancer and a mother with liver cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Constance’s Survivor Story
Constance Porter was treated for breast cancer and became cancer-free, but some effects of treatment lasted far longer than she expected. She lost her hair during chemotherapy and was often told not to worry because it would grow back. Instead, she developed…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Natalia’s Patient Story
Natalia Padron’s breast cancer was found after she noticed that something looked different in her breasts and sought routine breast imaging. The report was highly suspicious, and she was referred to a surgeon. She had a family history of breast cancer through…
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