In May 2024, I started noticing a change on my left breast. My husband and I were in Italy, and I thought it was part of my cycle. I watched it closely through two cycles before I decided I needed to have it checked. The initial response from everyone was that I was "too young!" and that "it's just hormonal." But I knew, due to extreme family history — mother (CHEK2), paternal grandmother and aunt (both BRCA) — that it was likely breast cancer.
I ended up demanding a mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy, and on September 10th, at the age of 31, I found out I had HR+ Her2- Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Grade 1. My mind immediately started telling me that I was dying, that I was leaving my two kids motherless, that I had the fight of my life ahead of me. I was fortunate to get in with the surgeon immediately, and I was grateful he agreed to do bilateral mastectomies for me.
As a young mother, being aggressive felt like the right option for me. He was also floored — like everyone else — to learn that I am not "genetic," meaning I don't have any of the 13 genes. I also have zero risk factors outside of my family history. I've never smoked, drank, used hormonal birth control, aluminum deodorant, etc.
Because I caught my breast cancer so early and was extremely aggressive with surgery, I was told I had Stage 1 disease with no lymph node involvement. I successfully avoided radiation, and for that I am grateful. I also received an oncotype test — they test your cancer's DNA against thousands of other women with the same cancer as you — which told me that chemotherapy would not be useful, and that endocrine therapy would give me a 98% chance of being cancer free in 5 years.
This has been a complete whirlwind — from diagnosis on September 10th, to surgery on October 15th, to being confirmed cancer free on October 29th. Please know there is hope and so many resources out there for you. I hope to be one of those resources. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me, connect with me, or ask questions. I am an open book, and God confirmed my purpose through this experience. Please know you are not alone.