You have breast cancer. Four words that forever changed my life.
How was this possible? My mammogram in 2023 said I had only a 4 percent chance of developing breast cancer in the next five years, and 22 percent over my lifetime! I had no family history. I’m the first. The first of many female relatives.
My story is like so many others. No family history. No genetic factors. And yet, I became one of the one-in-eight women who receive this diagnosis.
But I was one of the lucky ones.
My annual mammogram in December 2024 caught something. A follow-up mammogram and ultrasound in February led to a biopsy, and on February 24, the results confirmed it all: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Grade 2.
Overwhelmed by the pathology report, I tried to educate myself quickly. What did all the terminology mean? What are these scores I’m reading? How “bad” was my cancer? What treatment would I need? What stage was I in? Slowly, over weeks of appointments with oncologists and surgeons, and even more testing, I got the answers.
We caught it early—Stage 1. Moderately aggressive, but slow growing. A 2.2 cm tumor, undetectable without the mammogram. That was the scariest part: I had been walking around with cancer for months, with no symptoms. It didn’t show up on blood work. It couldn’t be felt. But it was there, deep against my chest wall, growing silently.
After research, long talks with my doctors, friends who’d been through breast cancer, and my family, I made my choice: a double mastectomy. My surgeon told me it was entirely my decision—and I knew this was the only option that would bring me peace.
On March 28, I went in for surgery. In addition to the mastectomy, I had immediate reconstruction. Recovery was tough—tougher than I could have imagined—but the cancer was gone. The three lymph nodes they removed came back negative. Radiation wasn’t needed. The only question left was chemotherapy. After an agonizing four-week wait for the final pathology report, I got the call: no chemo needed. On May 1, I got to ring the bell!
My battle was short. I was one of the fortunate ones. I’ll take a hormone blocker every day for the next five years to reduce the chance of recurrence, but that’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.
This is just my story. Many others are harder. Many don’t have a happy ending. But my biggest takeaway is this: a breast cancer diagnosis isn’t a death sentence—far from it. Thanks to years of research, testing, and the push for early detection, breast cancer can be beaten.
Still, cancer never truly ends. After treatment is over and life starts to look normal again, it lingers. It becomes part of who you are. But it’s only one chapter—not your whole story.
That’s why I’m walking with my fellow AVIANites to raise money and awareness for those still fighting. Together, we can make a difference. I’m walking proof of that.
Written by Joy Shrum
Senior Program Management Analyst
An employee-owner since 2018
