Breast Cancer: Alexandria's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Alexandria was 27 when she felt a hard breast lump in the shower. The ultrasound happened the day after her birthday, and the biopsy found abnormal cells that led to a breast cancer diagnosis. She waited to tell her parents until the diagnosis was clearer because she did not want to worry people unnecessarily. Her doctors discussed a double mastectomy, but Alexandria chose a single mastectomy. A major reason was fertility and the possibility of breastfeeding in the future if she was able to have children. Her team also moved quickly to help preserve that option through expedited egg retrieval before chemotherapy. Soon after her eggs were frozen, she started chemotherapy. The treatment drugs, cancer stage, and biomarker status are not stated. Alexandria described trying to handle treatment one step at a time and relying on her doctors and nurses to guide the medical decisions. Hair loss was the hardest part because it made the diagnosis visible and forced her to tell more people at work. As of December 2019, she was still in active treatment and using her experience to encourage younger women to know their bodies, check breast changes early, and seek professional evaluation when something feels wrong.