About Me
I discovered DetecTogether while searching for an organization that empowers women through early cancer detection. Using a 3 Steps Detect method, I was able to identify a warning sign that would change my life.
How This Started
It all began on vacation. While applying sunscreen, I felt a small lump in my breast.
What I Noticed
Initially, I wasn’t too alarmed — I asked my husband and mother to feel it, and like my doctor, they weren’t overly concerned. But I knew not to ignore a new lump.
My Decisions Along the Way
It turns out the doctors think I may have had cancer for as many as five years before it was finally diagnosed. An MRI revealed what those mammograms missed. I needed a bilateral mastectomy, and I’m now in the midst of ongoing treatments to prevent any further spread.
Why It Was Easy to Wait
My husband, mother, and doctor weren’t overly concerned about the lump, and my mammograms kept coming back showing no evidence of cancer because of my dense breast tissue — it would have been easy to accept that reassurance.
The Moment Things Changed
Insisting on a biopsy — done “out of an abundance of caution,” as the radiologist put it — despite the reassuring mammograms and ultrasound is what finally led to the real diagnosis.
What Happened Next
I pushed for answers, trusting my instincts, even when the initial mammogram and ultrasound showed nothing. Given I have dense breast tissue, I had a false sense of security when my mammograms showed “no evidence of cancer.”
What Would Have Helped Sooner
For any woman with dense breast tissue, not relying solely on mammograms and pushing for additional screenings like an MRI or ultrasound sooner would have caught this years earlier.
What I Learned and What I Want Others to Know
Looking back, I realize how critical it was to advocate for myself. If I hadn’t pushed for that biopsy, I don’t know where I’d be today. If you find a new lump and you can’t get a clear answer as to what it is or what caused it, insist on a biopsy, even if doctors aren’t overly concerned and it’s out of “an abundance of caution.”
Changes I Noticed
Felt a lump.
