What happened, in summary

Suzanne was 57 when she found a small lump in her left breast in March 2021. She noticed it while checking soreness she associated with strength training. Mammography and ultrasound were followed by a fine-needle aspiration, and she was told the sampled cells looked normal.

By July, the lump felt larger. Repeat imaging showed that it had doubled in size, and on July 29 Suzanne learned that she had invasive lobular carcinoma. She traveled from Delaware to a cancer center in Massachusetts for treatment.

In September, she underwent a lumpectomy, sentinel lymph-node biopsy and lymph-node dissection. Pathology found 2 very small ER-positive lobular tumors and no cancer in the lymph nodes. Her team prescribed 4 weeks of radiation, followed by at least 5 years of anti-estrogen medication. She was also beginning care for newly diagnosed osteoporosis.

At the time of her story, Suzanne had taken time away from work as an occupational therapist to complete treatment. Finding the cancer herself despite an initially reassuring sample strengthened her belief in knowing one’s body, returning when a change persists and seeking clear answers. She also became interested in research focused specifically on the detection and treatment of lobular breast cancer.