mastectomy: 360 Real Stories
360 stories match mastectomy. 342 of them mention surgery.
Breast Cancer: Rosie’s Patient Story
Rosie noticed that her left breast looked different while she was in the shower and found a lump when she checked it. She saw her GP the next day, was referred to a breast clinic and had a biopsy 2 weeks later. Her diagnosis was confirmed the following week…
Read this storyStage IV HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Bethany’s Patient Story
Bethany was 34 when breast cancer was first found in both breasts and a lymph node. Earlier, she had felt breast and underarm lumps but pursued thermography and other nonstandard approaches before ultimately getting a mammogram and ultrasound that showed…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Sharon’s Survivor Story
Sharon Kovach grew up with breast cancer in her family: her grandmother and mother had both been diagnosed, and her mother died from the disease at age 56. An abnormal mammogram led to Sharon’s own diagnosis in October 1999, 1 month after her 40th birthday…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Lianne’s Patient Story
Lianne Kraemer was 37 when a small painful area in her left breast led to imaging and a biopsy in late 2013. She was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer involving lymph nodes. In 2014, she underwent a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, reconstruction, and…
Read this storyInvasive Ductal Carcinoma: Simone’s Patient Story
In late 2021, Simone Saint Laurent received a mammogram after pandemic-related screening delays. Suspicious calcifications led to a biopsy and a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. Her doctors recommended removal of both breasts and testing nearby…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Daneen’s Survivor Story
Daneen had surgery for lobular carcinoma in situ at age 32 and was monitored closely afterward. Tamoxifen was discussed as a preventive option, but she and her husband were trying to have a child after years of infertility and unsuccessful IVF. In June 1999…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Kehau’s Survivor Story
At 78, Kehau Matsumoto described herself as a five-time cancer survivor and patient advocate in Hawaii. Her first breast cancer was found on a routine mammogram in 1993. Afraid of surgery, she chose radiation therapy. Breast cancer later returned more than…
Read this storyHER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Tamara’s Patient Story
Tamara was 30, recently returned from the United States, and had just given birth when she noticed a small lump in her armpit during breastfeeding. She was first reassured that it was probably a lactation-related cyst, but because her mother had died of…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Janice’s Patient Story
Janice Dolnick had already been through a long breast cancer journey before she came to Dana-Farber in 2018. Over the previous 21 years, she had undergone 2 rounds of breast cancer treatment and a bilateral mastectomy. Genetic testing had shown that she…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Lorena’s Patient Story
Lorena, a Colombian woman living in Miami, first felt something was wrong during a trip to Spain. Her hands and feet went numb, and although others thought it was travel fatigue, she kept insisting that her body felt different. Back in Miami, her doctor…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Jo’s Survivor Story
Jo was 56 and receiving twice-yearly ultrasound and annual mammography because of dense, cystic breasts. During 2021, several suspicious areas in the left breast were biopsied and found to be benign. A technician later noticed an area in the right breast, but…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Eileen’s Survivor Story
Eileen’s lobular breast cancer was diagnosed in September 2018, when a radiologist called just after her plane landed. Early consultations suggested lumpectomy and 5 weeks of radiation, but an MRI changed the plan. What first appeared to be a line of invasive…
Read this storyStage II HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: María’s Survivor Story
María Ángeles found a small lump in her armpit while showering, just months after a divorce and during a stressful period of rebuilding her life. She had also had fever and some weight loss, but the lump was the sign that pushed her to see her gynecologist. A…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Mary’s Patient Story
In 2017, this nurse underwent a mammogram after her doctor raised concerns about very high inflammatory markers and a family history of ovarian cancer. The mammogram detected early-stage breast cancer. A second evaluation at MD Anderson showed that the breast…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Loli’s Patient Story
Loli was 63 when she shared the story of having breast cancer 3 times. About 4 years earlier, she felt a hard area in her breast, like mastitis, and quickly saw her gynecologist. An urgent ultrasound and biopsy led to a HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosis…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stephanie’s Patient Story
Stephanie was 68 when she shared a long breast cancer history. In 2004, a routine mammogram found an abnormality on the right side. She had a needle-localized biopsy, lumpectomy, and sentinel node biopsy, then was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ and…
Read this storyStage IV Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Caroline’s Patient Story
Caroline McGuirk first noticed that her right breast felt tighter in September 2020. Over the following weeks, she developed swelling, redness, and dimpling, and later felt masses behind the nipple. Because she was 31 and otherwise healthy, breast cancer had…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Virgie’s Patient Story
Virgie Shaw was 75 when she finally sought care for a left-breast mass she had noticed 15 months earlier. A retired licensed practical nurse, she had delayed evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic even as the mass grew larger and painful. In April 2021…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Aalia’s Survivor Story
Aalia was 48 when fatigue and a lump she felt while undressing led to a diagnosis of Stage III breast cancer. The diagnosis frightened her, and she worried about what treatment and the future would mean. Her doctors discussed multiple surgeries and other…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Diana’s Survivor Story
Diana was 40 when persistent pain in her right breast led her to feel a small lump. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and initially felt powerless, vulnerable and sad. Her doctors explained that treatment offered a chance of survival if the cancer…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Eve’s Patient Story
Eve, 43, is a mother from Ireland who was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast. At first, she felt neutral about the diagnosis and did not seek a second opinion. She focused on changing her diet, aiming for healthier eating 3 to 5…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Martha’s Patient Story
Martha noticed a highly visible mass in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. She sought a second opinion from a more experienced doctor and also researched her options before deciding on treatment. Following medical recommendations…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Liliana’s Patient Story
Liliana noticed a change in her nipple and a strong stabbing pain in her left breast. A preventive examination led to further evaluation, and a second opinion confirmed stage 2 breast cancer. Her doctor discussed a 90% five-year survival estimate. Liliana…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Valiente’s Patient Story
Valiente, a mother from Colombia, found a painless lump in her right breast. Evaluation by oncology and breast specialists, including MRI, confirmed Stage III breast cancer. The diagnosis led her to make major lifestyle changes, including exercising twice as…
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