Breast Cancer: Mauriel's Survivor Story

What happened, in summary

Mauriel Davis sought a mammogram after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had felt a small lump months earlier but had ignored it until her mother urged her to get checked. At a Cleveland Clinic OB/GYN visit, the area was first thought to be a cyst, but biopsy showed breast cancer. Further imaging revealed a 7 cm mass that occupied her right breast. The cancer was described as aggressive, triple-positive and estrogen receptor-positive. Because the mass was large, Mauriel’s team started with chemotherapy before surgery, hoping to shrink the cancer as much as possible. She described having a breast surgeon, plastic surgeon, oncologist and consistent nursing support, which helped her feel she had a team around her. After extensive chemotherapy, her oncologist recommended surgery to remove what remained of the mass. Chemotherapy drug names and the exact breast surgery type were not specified. As of May 2016, Mauriel had reached her 6-month follow-up and described the outcome as great. She was moving beyond monthly appointments, mentoring other cancer patients through Cleveland Clinic’s 4th Angel program and speaking to students about the importance of support during treatment.