What happened, in summary

Doreen was diagnosed with Stage IIA triple-positive invasive ductal breast cancer after finding a lump in her left breast during a work trip. Getting the right imaging took persistence: after several calls and one wrong order, she finally had the correct mammogram and ultrasound, followed by a core biopsy the next day. Early testing showed a 2 to 3 cm tumor and no lymph-node involvement on initial checks. The diagnosis came just as she was leaving for a friend’s wedding in Italy, so she carried the fear quietly until she returned and met with a patient advocate. Within about 1 week, she had a surgery consult, MRI, echocardiogram, port placement, and oncology visit. Chemotherapy became part of the plan because the cancer was triple-positive. Doreen received neoadjuvant TCHP through her port, with Taxotere given first and infusions lasting about 4.5 hours every 3 weeks. She worked through treatment when she could, while managing nausea, diarrhea, sore throat, taste loss, hair loss, fatigue, and chemo brain. By the time she was ready for surgery, chemotherapy had produced a complete response: the lump could no longer be found. As of June 2026, she had also undergone lumpectomy and radiation and was describing recovery with humor and strong support.