No matter what type of breast cancer you have, you may be feeling emotions of fear, stress, and tension. Keep reading for women’s experiences with their diagnoses and where they are now.
I still remember receiving my breast cancer diagnosis like it was yesterday.
I was on the train heading home when I received the phone call from my primary care doctor’s office. Except my doctor was on vacation, so another doctor who I’d never met made the phone call instead.
“I’m sorry to inform you, you have breast cancer. But it’s the good kind of breast cancer. You’ll need to contact a surgeon to have the tumor removed,” he said.
After 2 months of tests and biopsies, it still hit like a brick wall to hear those dreaded four words, “You have breast cancer.” And the good kind? Seriously? Who says that?
Little did I know, I’d soon be knee-deep in a world of testing, genetics, receptors, diagnosis, and treatments. That doctor had good intentions when he said “the good kind,” and there’s a little truth in that statement — but it’s not what anyone thinks about when they get a diagnosis.
There are two types of breast cancer: invasive and noninvasive.
According to
And the other 80% of breast cancers?
They’re invasive.
And even with an invasive breast cancer diagnosis, the treatment and experience isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Some breast cancers are found early, some grow slowly, some are benign, and others are deadly. But what we all can relate to is the fear, stress, and tension that comes with the diagnosis. We reached out to several women and asked about their experiences and stories.
Lisa almost canceled her mammogram but went anyway. She was told that the radiologist would probably call her back more than once because he was very thorough.
She was called back. Then she was called back again. That was the one that felt funny.
She went in for the reading, and the radiologist pointed to the screen and said, “This is your mass.” Mass? She knew that word was associated with cancer.
Lisa had triple-negative breast cancer. After the lumpectomy, she was told stage 2. After 6 months of doxorubicin, another chemo, and 33 rounds of radiation, she’s had clean scans since.
Her advice? Don’t compare your journey with someone else’s.
“You see all those people who wear shirts for their loved ones with cancer, but not everyone has that,” she said. “I wish someone would have told me not to compare my journey with someone else because of how it would make me feel. I had support, but I didn’t have people wearing pink T-shirts. I had friends who donated money anonymously to help me. Not everything that gets done is going to be an in-your-face party, but there are support networks online and locally that can help you just as much.”
When Gwen first received her diagnosis, she was petrified about the need for surgery and chemotherapy. She was also worried about her kids — 8 and 12 years old at the time — and what it would mean for them. She didn’t want to worry them or upset her family plans and routines. She was also afraid that she wouldn’t be able to work through treatment — a big worry, since she was self-employed.
Today, 6.5 years after completing treatment (surgery, chemo, and radiation), she is cancer-free, though still receives monitoring every 6 months due to the type of cancer.
She says the thing that surprised her most is that living through cancer has given her a tremendous sense of freedom and simplified how she lives her life. She says you gain an extra dose of wisdom that you typically wouldn’t get until later in life. She doesn’t waste time, she does what she really wants to do, and she spends time on what matters most to her.
Most women in Crystal’s family have been diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives, so she knew her diagnosis was coming. It was just a matter of when. She was also concerned, as studies have found that Black women are at greater risk of experiencing a delay in diagnosis.
She not only had an annual mammogram but also visited mammography vans throughout the year in the hopes of catching the cancer early. She was most shocked when she was finally diagnosed with stage 3B triple-negative inflammatory breast cancer, because she had a clean mammogram just 6 weeks earlier.
Her treatment plan ran for 15 months and included injections, surgeries, radiation, and hormones. Upon completion, she was cancer-free.
One piece of advice she has is to consider how you want to proceed with hair loss.
“While many salons partner with cancer centers to provide private, compassionate wig selection, most of the partner salons do not cater to the styles for women of color,” she said. “Going to the neighborhood hair shops where the styles are most accommodating to women of color, especially for women who did not wear wigs before their diagnosis, can be challenging. Do not give up. Take your time. You will find something that works for you.”
As for me and my “good kind” of breast cancer, my situation meant I had a slow-growing cancer. I had a lumpectomy on my right breast. The tumor was 1.3 centimeters (cm). I had four rounds of chemo and then 36 radiation sessions.
As of August 2024, I’m officially 14 years no evidence of disease! I attribute my good health to optimizing my nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle factors.
In addition to the breast cancer diagnosis that connects all of us as warrior sisters, we all have one thing in common: we knew. Long before the diagnosis, the tests, the biopsies, we knew. Whether we felt the lump on our own or at the doctor’s office, we knew.
It was that little voice inside of us that told us something wasn’t right. If you or a loved one suspect something is wrong, please see a medical professional. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis can be scary, but you’re not alone.
The four of us are still recovering, both inside and out. It’s a lifelong journey, one in which we all live each day to the fullest.
Holly Bertone is a breast cancer survivor and living with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She’s also an author, blogger, and healthy living advocate. Learn more about her at her website, Pink Fortitude.