Breast Cancer: Dolly's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, surveillance and supportive care
- Outcome
- Survivorship / Surveillance
Treatment course, step by step
- 2019 breast lump led to mammogram and ultrasound confirming breast cancer
- City of Hope exam also found a thyroid tumor
- Care team recommended removing the breast and thyroid tumors during one operation
- Recovered in Los Angeles with follow-up from breast oncology and endocrinology for treatment-related diabetes
- Radiation was evaluated, but the source does not say radiation treatment was given.
What happened, in summary
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 City of Hope, and the Philippine Embassy granted a temporary visa so Dolly could fly to California within 3 days. At City of Hope’s Duarte campus, breast surgeon Veronica Jones evaluated her with interpreter support. During the initial exam, the team found a second problem: a thyroid tumor. Dolly was referred to radiation oncologist Scott Glaser, and her team recommended removing both the breast and thyroid tumors in one operation. That approach was unfamiliar to her because it was not standard practice in the Philippines, but she trusted her City of Hope team and agreed. Staff from the Center for International Medicine stayed with her on surgery day to translate and provide emotional support. After the operation, Dolly recovered in Los Angeles with her daughter. Her follow-up team expanded to include breast oncologist Joanne Mortimer and endocrinologist Ping Wang, who helped manage diabetes that developed during treatment. As of July 2025, Dolly described feeling wonderful, strong and grateful, with a new focus on family, travel, mahjong and helping others facing cancer.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by City of Hope. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer