Breast Cancer: Cindy-Anne's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Cindy-Anne Manoo was working as a personal support worker when a resident accidentally hit her in the chest. A sore area remained, and she later felt a lump. Ultrasound, mammogram, and biopsy led to a breast cancer diagnosis on December 21, 2021, her 44th birthday. She kept the news private through the holidays while her family was grieving other losses, then began making treatment decisions. Cindy-Anne chose mastectomy with reconstruction using her own tissue. Surgery took place in London on March 22, 2022, and she was first told the cancer was Stage I and fully removed. Six weeks later, pathology changed the plan: 2 removed lymph nodes were positive and the margins were not clear. She needed a second surgery in April, then chemotherapy and radiation. Before chemotherapy, she had a PICC line placed. She started chemotherapy in July 2022 and went through about 5 months of treatment, including severe side effects, hair loss, hospital admission for sepsis risk, and missed sessions because of low blood counts. Radiation followed in London from Monday to Friday for 15 sessions over 3 weeks. She completed radiation on December 21, 2022, exactly 1 year after diagnosis, and returned to work in March 2023.