When Vigilance Isn’t Enough: My Unexpected Breast Cancer Diagnosis
I have a long history with breast cancer — not personally, but painfully close. My mother was first diagnosed at 40. She fought the disease three separate times before we lost her when I was just 28. Because of that, I’ve always been extra vigilant. Annual mammograms, check-ups, self-awareness, I thought I was doing everything I was supposed to do.
But cancer doesn’t always follow the rules.
May 23: The Routine Check-Up That Wasn’t So Routine
I went in for my annual check-up on May 23. I specifically asked for a mammogram, something that’s not always automatic. I had no symptoms. No warning signs. Just a gut feeling and the weight of family history.
Then, in the days between my check-up and the scheduled mammogram, I noticed something, a subtle change in breast density. I brushed it off. Maybe it was menopause. Maybe it was nothing.
May 28: Mammogram → Ultrasound
My mammogram on May 28 raised red flags. They recommended an ultrasound, that has happened before and been nothing, so I tried to remain positive. The first available appointment was over a week away. My husband Chris, always the calm in my storm, said, “Call every day. See if there are cancellations.”
So I did.
I only had to call a couple time before getting an appointment for June 2. Funny enough, I nearly missed it because I was told the wrong location, but by some miracle, they waited for me and held my appointment until end of the day.
During the ultrasound, a couple of doctors came in to review what they were seeing. I mentioned we were supposed to go on a family trip on June 25. The doctor looked at me gently but seriously and said, “You need to take care of this now.” They found a suspicious lump in my lymph node and wanted to do an ultrasound guided biopsy and an MRI as soon as possible.
June 3–6: The Biopsy and the Diagnosis
Because I had nearly missed that ultrasound appointment, most of the clinic staff had already gone home. But the technician took my number and promised to get me scheduled first thing. Sure enough, the next morning I was on my way to the office when she called and booked me for June 23. Then about 30 minutes later she called to say a cancellation had opened up, could I come now?
That biopsy was painful. But it didn’t matter. I just wanted answers.
I got the first of those answers on June 6. My biopsy was malignant.
June 11–12: The MRI and “The Talk”
The MRI was the next hurdle. When I called to schedule, they initially were looking at dates in August. I knew I didn’t have that kind of time, but I had a feeling it would work out and the next day, they called back with an appointment for June 11.
The night before my official diagnosis, I barely slept. I messaged a friend and said, “I just want to walk out tomorrow with answers. I want to know what I’m dealing with and what the plan is.”
That’s exactly what I got.
On June 12, the radiologist who had been quietly championing my case delivered the news. The cancer was a large mass in my breast and chest wall and spread to my lymph nodes . She was visibly emotional when she told me I would need a mastectomy.
I looked at her, holding tightly to Chris’s hand, and asked one question:
“Can I beat this?”
She looked back at me and said, “Yes. You can beat this." That was all I needed to hear.
That Same Day: Oncology Moves
Incredibly, while I was still undergoing one more procedure, this same radiologist, my unexpected guardian angel, was already on the phone with oncology, trying to get me an appointment.
There was no one scheduled in the clinic that day.
But she made a call.
By the time I finished my procedure, I had an appointment to meet my oncologist, someone she had went to medical school with that afternoon. She also told me that they had already been in touch and discussing my case.
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