What happened, in summary

Tamara was 30, recently returned from the United States, and had just given birth when she noticed a small lump in her armpit during breastfeeding. She was first reassured that it was probably a lactation-related cyst, but because her mother had died of cancer, she could not ignore it. A gynecology visit led to several hours of testing, and Tamara was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. The diagnosis arrived when she was focused on her newborn daughter and family life. Before starting treatment, she also had to decide quickly whether she wanted the option of another child. Because treatment could affect fertility, she chose egg retrieval and freezing. Her tumor measured 5.5 cm. The plan was to reduce it first and then proceed to mastectomy. Tamara started chemotherapy and cut her long hair short as soon as treatment began. After 5 chemotherapy sessions, she had surgery: breast removal, reconstruction, and removal of 10 axillary lymph nodes in the same operation. Recovery was difficult, especially with reduced arm mobility, and she needed physiotherapy. As of April 2022, 4 years had passed since diagnosis, and Tamara was still having periodic follow-up before reaching the 5-year mark after treatment.