What happened, in summary

Eva Joseph’s breast cancer journey began in March 2002, when a mammogram found two areas in her left breast. She first had a lumpectomy, but cancer remained at the margins, so she underwent a mastectomy. Cancer was also found in the sentinel lymph node, changing the original diagnosis from Stage II to Stage III. Chemotherapy and radiation followed. Treatment caused severe nausea, fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, and depression, and gardening became an important way for Eva to regain strength.

In 2014, chest tightness and breathing difficulty led to imaging that showed fluid around the lungs. The breast cancer had spread to the lungs, and a bone scan also found tumors in the sternum. Eva was diagnosed with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer.

She entered a clinical trial combining the immunotherapy atezolizumab with the chemotherapy nab-paclitaxel. After several rounds, scans showed the tumors in her lungs and sternum shrinking. Eva remained on the combination for years. The cancer had not disappeared, but the tumors became very small and treatment was keeping them at bay. She continued to have some nausea but felt well enough to enjoy short trips with her husband.