What happened, in summary

Sonja Rideout was diagnosed on October 19, 2022, with Stage II HER2-positive breast cancer after ultrasound and biopsy of a 2-inch breast mass. Her treatment began with 4 months of chemotherapy, followed by a total mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction. After surgery, she joined a clinical trial studying hormone therapy for her cancer type and was assigned to anastrozole. Sonja also poured energy into Komen Race for the Cure fundraising, turning advocacy into part of healing. Soon after one event, she asked her oncologist for a chest X-ray because she wanted reassurance. Testing instead showed the cancer had spread to her lungs and liver, making it Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Her team moved quickly: she left the study, received 5 back-to-back radiation treatments to the liver, and started ribociclib plus monthly fulvestrant. After 13 months, side effects became difficult. More testing showed her lungs and liver had no evidence of disease, but the cancer had spread to her tailbone and thoracic lymph nodes near the heart. As of January 2026, Sonja was receiving weekly carboplatin and gemcitabine, plus monthly immunotherapy, while continuing to fundraise and stay hopeful.