mastectomy: 360 Real Stories
360 stories match mastectomy. 342 of them mention surgery.
Stage I Breast Cancer: Béatrice’s Survivor Story
Béatrice’s breast cancer was found very early, when the tumor was described as only 2 mm. Because it was detected at such a small size, her treatment path was different from many longer breast cancer journeys. She had a mastectomy with immediate…
Read this storyBRCA1 Breast Cancer: Alina’s Survivor Story
Alina Schiller was 30 when she shared life after early-stage breast cancer. She found a lump while changing clothes and went to a gynecologist, who referred her to a breast center. Biopsy confirmed breast cancer in 2018, and BRCA1 testing found a mutation at…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Danielle’s Survivor Story
Danielle was 68 when she faced Stage II breast cancer. Her treatment path was intensive and included a mastectomy, chemotherapy, 5 weeks of radiation therapy, and immunotherapy described as a way to lower the chance of recurrence. The physical side of…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Kirsten’s Survivor Story
Kirsten Seifert was 52, married, and working as a freelance sports trainer when breast cancer was diagnosed. She had 3 adult children and received the diagnosis about 1 year before rehabilitation. Her gynecologist first advised immediate surgery, but Kirsten…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Danièle’s Survivor Story
Danièle’s breast cancer was diagnosed quickly after a bra underwire left a mark and her gynecologist sent her for imaging. On February 4, 2016, ultrasound and biopsy raised immediate concern, and by February 11 she was told it was breast cancer that was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Ute’s Survivor Story
Ute Schuhmacher was 63 when she looked back on 17 years with breast cancer and recurrence. Her first diagnosis came in 1996, when her children were still young. Fear for them was one of her greatest worries. Several operations were needed from the beginning…
Read this storyStage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer: Sylvane’s Patient Story
Sylvane was 71 when a persistent dry cough in May 2020 led to a new cancer diagnosis. She had survived breast cancer 27 years earlier, in 1993, after chemotherapy, radiation, removal of the left breast, and removal of the lymph-node chain. This time, COVID…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Sonja’s Patient Story
Sonja Zeiss-Wengler was 51 when she described breast cancer diagnosed at the end of 2006. She had been under regular gynecologic monitoring because of a hard area in the breast. When her gynecologist noticed that something had changed, she was referred for…
Read this storyHormone-dependent bifocal invasive lobular breast cancer with nodule disappearance after follow-up
A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed in July 2018 with hormone-dependent, grade II bifocal invasive lobular breast cancer. The cancer involved 2 nodules, one measuring 18 mm and the other 15 mm. After several oncology visits, she decided not to follow the…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Elke’s Survivor Story
Elke Ferch was 66 at the time of her interview and had first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991. The diagnosis came as a shock, especially because she was still a young woman and had to face losing a breast. Surgery removed her right breast and about…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Nurguel’s Patient Story
Nurguel Dogan was 40, married, and the mother of 2 sons when she described breast cancer diagnosed in 2009. A lump was found during regular early-detection care, and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Her first worry was for her sons, who were 10 and 11…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Rosemarie’s Survivor Story
Rosemarie Berthel was 74 at the time of her interview and had received her breast cancer diagnosis at 71. She was widowed, the mother of 4, and already a grandmother and great-grandmother. Mammography had shown scattered abnormal cells in 2007, but she…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Helga’s Survivor Story
Helga Dietrich was 60 when she reflected on breast cancer first diagnosed at age 41, soon after her family moved to a new city. Her 2 children were still minors, and knowing they were well cared for during treatment gave her relief. At the first diagnosis…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Baerbel’s Survivor Story
Baerbel Grafenbach was 60 when early-stage breast cancer was found in late 2011 through mammography and biopsy. Her doctor described it as a non-aggressive cancer at an early stage and called it a good diagnosis. Because of that, Baerbel was able to take time…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Gerda’s Patient Story
Gerda Martin was 73 when she reflected on breast cancer diagnosed in 2008. She first noticed a change during a sauna visit: her nipple was pulling inward. She went to her gynecologist, and further testing led to the diagnosis. Surgery removed her right…
Read this storyBreast cancer treated with right mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and reconstruction story
A woman found a breast lump herself and had it checked when a breast specialist was visiting a nearby clinic. She was quickly sent to a hospital for testing and was diagnosed with breast cancer. The time from discovery to surgery moved fast, but she felt…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: CL’s Survivor Story
CL, 58, is from Singapore and was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer after noticing suspicious symptoms during a self-examination. She consulted a doctor, then sought a second opinion because she wanted advice from a more experienced doctor. Based on her…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Emilcen’s Patient Story
Emilcen, 58, is from Colombia and was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer after finding a lump in her left breast. She went through mammogram, biopsy, and histochemistry testing before receiving the diagnosis. The news brought fear and worry, and she…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim A. was 49 when she shared her Stage III breast cancer experience. More than 3 years earlier, a sharp, shooting pain in her right breast led her to notice a lump. Mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsies confirmed Stage III breast cancer with lymph node…
Read this storyStage I breast cancer, mastectomy, hormone therapy, and survivorship anxiety story
A woman in her 40s had her first mammogram and learned she had Stage I breast cancer. Because of the diagnosis, she underwent a total mastectomy. After surgery, she continued with hormone therapy. The physical treatment was only part of the experience. Losing…
Read this storyBreast cancer with separate uterine and thyroid cancers, surgery, reconstruction, and chemotherapy story
A woman had already lived through uterine cancer in her early 30s and a total hysterectomy. For years afterward, she dealt with menopausal symptoms and delayed her own care while her mother was seriously ill. She had also been followed for a lump in her left…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tanya’s Patient Story
Tanya was 47 when a routine mammogram in November 2020 led to a callback for a 3D mammogram. Small calcifications were seen, and biopsy first showed ductal carcinoma. While waiting to meet a surgeon, Tanya followed a friend’s advice and saw a high-risk cancer…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Lisa’s Patient Story
Lisa was living in Kentucky with her husband, 3 sons, and 7 grandchildren when she learned that her invasive lobular carcinoma had returned as metastatic disease. Her first signs had appeared in 2017: an inverted nipple, followed about 6 weeks later by…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Alba’s Patient Story
Alba, 58, first went to the doctor because of unexplained weight loss. During breast cancer screening, doctors found a painless lump in her right breast, and a biopsy confirmed Stage II breast cancer. She also described physical fatigue during the process…
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