Reconstruction: 75 Real Stories
75 stories match reconstruction. 74 of them mention surgery.
Stage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Eutha’s Survivor Story
Eutha Prince was diagnosed with Stage II invasive ductal and lobular breast carcinoma in 2012 after a suspicious finding on her yearly mammogram led to ultrasound and biopsy. Her tumor was estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive and…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Renée’s Survivor Story
Renée had already survived acute myeloid leukemia and a bone marrow transplant when she noticed a change in the shape of her left breast at age 35. A dimple appeared, her nipple flattened, and urgent imaging and biopsies found stage 2 breast cancer involving…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Survivor Story
Melissa found a growing, painless lump in her left breast while breastfeeding her 1-year-old daughter. Testing confirmed stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer, and she soon learned that she was pregnant with her second child. She was in her late 20s and had…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Rumpf's triple-negative breast cancer story moved her from nurse and military veteran into the role of patient. Her diagnosis brought both medical urgency and deeply personal decisions, especially around fertility and family planning. Treatment included…
Read this storyStage III Breast Cancer: Andrea’s Survivor Story
Andrea was pregnant and around 30 weeks along when she mentioned a divot in her breast at an OB-GYN visit. A same-day breast center evaluation led to biopsy of both the breast and lymph nodes, and she soon learned she had breast cancer. Her story describes…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Margaret’s Survivor Story
Margaret’s Stage II breast cancer involved both invasive ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in situ. She first noticed left-breast pain and an inverted nipple. Mammogram and biopsy led to diagnosis, followed by rapid decisions about surgery, scans…
Read this storyStage I HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Amelia’s Patient Story
Amelia was 40 when Stage I invasive ductal carcinoma was diagnosed. Her cancer was ER-positive, PR-positive, and HER2-negative. She first had an outpatient lumpectomy, but soon learned more surgery would be needed. Because she had a history of breast growths…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Cat’s Survivor Story
Cat was diagnosed with Stage IIB breast cancer after feeling a lump in her left breast. An ultrasound raised immediate concern, and biopsy confirmed cancer. She was diagnosed at the end of June and chose to wait until after a family trip and school…
Read this storyStage 0 HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Natalie’s Survivor Story
Natalie found a lump in her right breast after nursing her third child. Mammogram and ultrasound did not explain what she could still feel, so she pushed for a specialist. After 6 months of watching the area, she had a lumpectomy, and pathology showed Stage 0…
Read this storyStage III Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie found a small lump in her left breast while self-employed and uninsured. Because she could not ignore the possibility of cancer, she researched options and was connected with the Bridge Breast Network, which helps uninsured and underinsured women in…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Callie’s Survivor Story
Callie was 38 when she noticed dimpling and a bulge in her breast. Her husband urged her to take it seriously, and her primary care doctor quickly arranged a mammogram and ultrasound. The radiologist told her the mammogram was BI-RADS 5, highly suspicious for…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Rach’s Patient Story
Rach D. was 27 when she noticed a change in her right breast during her honeymoon. At first, she was unsure whether the lump had always been there. A January physical exam became the turning point: her doctor felt 3 masses and sent her for ultrasound. The…
Read this storyBRCA2 Breast Cancer: Erika’s Patient Story
Erika was in college when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time and tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation. Years later, as Erika approached the age her mother had been at her first breast cancer diagnosis, she met with a genetic…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Liz’s Survivor Story
Dr. Liz O’Riordan had spent 20 years treating breast cancer patients, but at 40 she became a patient herself. After a shower, she noticed a lump in her left cleavage and assumed it was a cyst. Her mammogram was normal, but ultrasound showed cancer. The…
Read this storyTriple-Negative Breast Cancer: Marina’s Survivor Story
Marina was 31 and had just qualified for the Boston Marathon when she noticed a daily ache in her breast. Her mother had survived breast cancer twice and was known to carry a BRCA1 mutation, so Marina already understood that breast cancer could run in her…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Sonja’s Patient Story
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…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy had received regular mammograms since age 40 and was repeatedly told the results were clear. Dense breast tissue was noted, and automated whole-breast ultrasound was recommended only once. During a 2023 examination, her gynecologist felt that one breast…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Krista’s Patient Story
Krista’s breast cancer journey began with her mother’s history. Her mother had breast cancer twice and later learned she carried a pathogenic ATM mutation. After her mother died, Krista chose genetic testing and found that she carried the same mutation…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Karen’s Survivor Story
Karen moved from Seattle to Honolulu in July 2023 to lead an oncology service line. Two months later, at age 43, she found a breast lump despite having had a clear screening mammogram 9 months earlier. She had dense breast tissue and a family history of young…
Read this storyInvasive Lobular Carcinoma: Brenda’s Survivor Story
Brenda was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma in September 2023. She had never heard of the subtype before. Her radiologist noticed what looked like a scar on her mammogram and recommended a biopsy. That extra step found the cancer at an early stage…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Krista’s Patient Story
Krista Brown’s breast cancer story began with her mother’s diagnosis. Her mother had Stage III breast cancer, initially tested negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2, and later learned she carried a pathogenic ATM mutation. After her mother shared that result, Krista…
Read this storyStage 0 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica was diagnosed with Stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ in 2018 after about 10 years of close breast monitoring. Her mother had died of breast cancer more than 20 years earlier, and although Erica’s BRCA testing was negative, repeated mammograms…
Read this storyStage II Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Lizzie’s Survivor Story
In October 2020, Lizzie noticed an area in her right breast that felt similar to the dense tissue she had felt before, but this time it did not change with her monthly cycle. Her routine screening had been delayed during COVID, leaving 19 months between…
Read this storyStage 0 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Erica’s Survivor Story
Erica Newbert Campbell was diagnosed with Stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, in 2018 after years of anxious breast imaging. Her mother had died of breast cancer more than 20 years earlier, so Erica had been on high alert even though genetic testing…
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