Stage II Breast Cancer: Nelly's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage II
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Mastectomy was performed.
- Chemotherapy was completed.
- Radiation therapy was completed.
- Hormone therapy was ongoing at the time of the story.
What happened, in summary
Nelly, from Colombia, sought medical care after noticing a change in the shape of her breast and a lump. She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer and felt frightened, nervous, vulnerable, and worried about what the illness would mean for her family.
Her doctors recommended mastectomy, lymph-node surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy. Nelly described completing mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation and continuing hormone therapy after the main treatment ended. She said she was in remission and was not greatly affected by physical side effects.
The journey still created financial strain because she was supporting relatives and helping with elder care. After treatment, she worked on making healthier eating a lasting habit and spent more time with her family. Faith helped her manage fear of death and remain hopeful. She wanted to travel, return to work, start a small business, and encourage others to approach cancer with trust and resilience.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Our Cancer Stories. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer