What happened, in summary

Cath, 63, was diagnosed with Stage II luminal A breast cancer in May 2019 after a routine 2-yearly mammogram led to more imaging and a biopsy. She had no symptoms, and the cancer was described as ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative. At first she felt optimistic because she was told the cancer was small, but the treatment path became more complicated than expected. Cath had breast surgery first, followed by 15 doses of radiation therapy and 5 years of hormone therapy. She started with Tamoxifen, but it caused endometrial hyperplasia with atypical cells, so in 2022 she had a total hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. Her hormone therapy was then changed to Letrozole. She did not have breast reconstruction because the change in breast shape was minimal. Treatment brought radiation burn, fatigue, and at least 30 hot flushes a day. Effexor and other medication did not relieve them well, and the side effects disrupted sleep and daily life. Cath also faced financial pressure, job changes, permanent loss of work, and a heart condition found during follow-up that required aortic valve replacement and repair of an ascending aortic aneurysm in 2020. She was declared cancer-free in June 2024, but fear of recurrence, chronic pain, and the need to rebuild a new normal remained central parts of her survivorship.