All of Abigail’s adult life, she has been hyperaware of breast cancer. So many members of her family have been affected by breast or ovarian cancer that she requested BRCA gene mutation genetic testing at the age of 24. Even with the negative BRCA mutation result, Abigail knew she needed to stay on top of her breast self-exams and mammograms.
Abigail’s vigilance paid off when she noticed a lump in her right breast during a breast self-exam.
In addition to Abigail’s family history of breast cancer, she also has dense breast tissue, which is a risk factor for developing breast cancer. These factors, combined with the presence of a new lump in her breast found during her routine breast self-exam, caused Abigail to immediately be sent for a mammogram and breast ultrasound.
Abigail recalls her experience of finding the breast lump: “This particular time, I was in the shower, doing a self-exam, and felt a lump in my right breast—just a small, pebble-like lump. I called my OBGYN the next day and they got me in fast because of my history. They confirmed there was a lump and sent me to get a mammogram and ultrasound. I was 31 at the time.”
After her mammogram and ultrasound, Abigail learned that the lump in her right breast was only a cyst, not cancer. However, the ultrasound revealed calcifications in her left breast. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer, can sometimes appear as tiny calcium deposits, or calcifications, in the breast tissue.
In a twist of irony, the screening of the lump in Abigail’s right breast led to the unexpected finding—and subsequent DCIS breast cancer diagnosis—in her left breast. Abigail recalls that “had it not been for my heightened awareness, self-exams, and persistence with my care team, we might not have even known [the cancer] was there until much later and it would have been much more progressed. The right breast’s cyst helped me find the left breast’s cancer.”
To treat her breast cancer, Abigail chose to have a double mastectomy with breast reconstruction. After surgery, it took a while for Abigail to process what she had been through and accept her new body. “I felt guilty for having these feelings [of not being comfortable in my new body],” Abigail shared. “But it was and still is a really big struggle. I didn’t look in the mirror for a really long time after surgery, but then, I started figuring it out.”
To Abigail, “figuring it out” meant turning to her support community for encouragement and building her confidence. She also started seeing a cancer therapist to concentrate on her mental and emotional health.
Before Abigail’s diagnosis, she was no stranger to support groups or National Breast Cancer Foundation. Through her professional career with an NBCF corporate partner, Abigail was well aware of NBCF’s mission to provide help and inspire hope to those facing breast cancer. She had even participated in HOPE Kit packing parties at NBCF headquarters.
Following her mastectomy and reconstruction, Abigail turned to an NBCF support group: “I knew I needed to have people who are in this world, who I could talk to and who have similar ground, and see that they’re getting through it. I am inspired by them, and I just know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Having support and receiving encouragement from others in a similar situation can be life-changing for some breast cancer patients and survivors. Abigail experienced this type of support through her NBCF support group, which became “a sweet source of community and connection” for her, particularly as a young cancer survivor. She says that “as a young cancer survivor, there aren’t a lot of people your age who know what it’s really like to have cancer and experience survivorship. Getting to meet others who understand me has been invaluable.”
NBCF offers free virtual and in-person support groups to breast cancer patients and survivors. Click here to learn more about NBCF support groups.
As a result of her diagnosis, Abigail learned that she does have a genetic mutation that increases her risk for developing breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers—PALB2. Though less common than a BRCA gene mutation, a PALB2 mutation requires the same sort of monitoring to catch any cancer that may develop early.
These days, despite having completed active treatment for DCIS, Abigail spends much of her time going to doctor’s appointments to make sure that she remains cancer-free. She shares that this constant state of worry can take a toll on her and other survivors:
“Though I’m cancer-free technically, it does feel at times that my calendar is just constant doctor’s appointments. Survivorship is lifelong and hard and lonely at times. Not everyone will understand the weight you carry and can’t ever put down. How real the worry of recurrence is, how mentally tiring it is to keep track of all the doctor’s appointments, worry about if you’re doing enough and eating well enough to keep the cancer away. Feeling guilty that you’re technically better but you’re struggling, when there are others who are still in treatment.”
Abigail has several tattoos, and they all tell a story. Her iris tattoo is in honor of her grandmother, a breast cancer survivor, who adored irises and always had them planted in her garden.
”Long story short, I survived,” a favorite Taylor Swift lyric, is tattooed on her knees. After everything she’s been through, the lyric really resonates with Abigail: “Right now, I’m in the just-letting-myself-be-happy stage. I’ve been through a lot. I love myself, and I’m really proud of myself. I look different, but I survived.”
National Breast Cancer Foundation is here for you as you navigate a breast cancer diagnosis. Visit our website to learn about NBCF breast cancer support groups, obtain free educational resources, or find a patient navigator in your area.
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