What happened, in summary

Kristel was 38, married with 3 children, and working as a communications director in Wisconsin when she found a breast lump just before Christmas 2018. At her yearly check-up in January, she was sent for a mammogram and ultrasound, but both were read as normal. Over the next few months, the lump grew larger and became painful. Then she found a second, smaller lump in the same breast. This time, ultrasound showed both masses, and biopsy confirmed invasive lobular carcinoma. Kristel chose a double mastectomy and also needed 25 rounds of radiation. While making treatment decisions, she found an ILC support group on Facebook and then the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance. The information helped her better understand the disease, ask questions, and make choices alongside her breast surgeon and oncologists at Mayo Clinic. After treatment, a social worker encouraged her to join a support group and talk with people who understood what she had been through. When Kristel could not find a virtual support group that fit her needs, she decided to start one herself. Her experience became a way to support other people with ILC and to remind them that they do not have to go through treatment alone.