Stage III Breast Cancer: Ada's Survivor Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy and targeted therapy
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / Remission
Treatment course, step by step
- Mastectomy and lymph-node removal; chemotherapy; radiotherapy; hormone therapy; targeted therapy.
- Ada remained on hormone therapy.
What happened, in summary
Ada was 50 when she faced stage 3 breast cancer after noticing breast lumps and pain in her armpits. The diagnosis brought feelings of helplessness, insecurity, grief and fear, but she chose to follow a broad treatment plan.
Her care included a mastectomy, removal of lymph nodes, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy. Cancer disrupted Ada’s life, and she lost her job during treatment.
She also made practical changes to support her wellbeing. Ada tried to eat better most days, exercised at least 50% more than before and reduced her alcohol intake from about 10 drinks a week to 1. Traveling and imagining life after recovery helped her manage fear and uncertainty.
At the time she shared her story, Ada was in remission and still taking hormone therapy. She continued to feel nervous about relapse, but she also felt hopeful about traveling, relaxing and staying active with the people she loved. Her advice to others was to face cancer with courage, stay engaged in treatment and keep up with yearly mammograms.
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