Too Many Young Women

Ali and me at the 2018 Northwest Cancer Celebration Walk

Heather and me at the 2018 Northwestern Celebration Walk

“Hi Lauren! I hope that you're doing well and are enjoying this beautiful Christmas season   I'm reaching out for some less-than-great news. I was just diagnosed with breast cancer and in the midst of trying to process and cope with this diagnosis, I'm also trying to gather information.  Without knowing for certain, it seems like you may have had a similar experience? I'm devastated that you had to endure all of this, but wondering if you'd mind talking and sharing your story?”

I received this note on 12/13/17 from a high school friend a month after another friend called to inform me of her breast cancer diagnosis. This was also about 5 months after a friend reached out asking if I would be open to talking about my experience with a friend of hers that was just diagnosed with breast cancer. All young adult women! What was happening? Was it something in the Chicago drinking water? (only kidding)

I responded to my friend Jessica right away and after almost 15 years we reconnected because of a horrible disease that was impacting both of our lives.  I shared my experience with her and provided her with the details of my treatment. I made sure she knew that I wanted to share my story, but it would be different from hers. We were both diagnosed with breast cancer, but different forms so our treatment plan would follow different paths. It’s a horrible thing that we both would have to experience this in our lives, but on the bright side it brought us back together and rekindled our friendship.

My friend Ali was diagnosed with the same breast cancer that I was treated for a few weeks before my friend Jessica. She was diagnosed a year or so after she looked to get tested for the BRCA gene since her mother had been a breast cancer survivor. Due to the age her mother was diagnosed, insurance wouldn’t cover it.  A year later she found a lump and discover that not only did she have breast cancer, but she was positive for the BRCA gene. It was tough to know she would be going down the awful road I had just left. She is a warrior so I knew she was going to get through it and thrive.

Two years before my girlfriends were diagnosed, I received my diagnosis, going through chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy and radiation. The wife of a friend from college was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer 2 weeks before I received my diagnosis.  Heather had neoagjuvant chemo and a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. She was also diagnosed with kidney cancer that same period so 8 weeks after the mastectomy she had a partial nephrectomy to remove half of the kidney and tumor. One year after my diagnosis, a friend I met through work received her diagnosis of triple negative.  Halli was diagnosed and went through neoadjuvant chemotherapy, had a double mastectomy- choosing no reconstruction. She is positive for BRCA 1. After a complete response to treatment Halli had a reoccurrence a year later with metastasis to lungs. She is living with metastatic breast cancer having had a lung resection and is currently on a PARP inhibitor. In the last 4 years, including myself 5 young women in my life have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

About one in eight U.S. women will develop an invasive form of breast cancer in their lifetime — over 260,000 women would be diagnosed with new cases in 2018 alone. But there are also over 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States today. -   Healthline.com

This number needs to stop growing! I’ve always been open about my story and as much as it stinks, the “C” word needs to be spoken about more- how to prevent it, our family history and how to support those who are diagnosed. I respect those who are not comfortable talking about it as there are many things I’m not comfortable talking about. However, if there are people out there who are open to sharing or are willing to share the experiences of any family members and friends, these stories can help support one more woman (or man) to prevent cancer or to get through their cancer journey.  In addition it will help the caregiver and family and friends of those going through the experience. They are just as much in need of support. If you are open to sharing your story I’d love to share it with the breast cancer community and their caregivers to give them hope and inspiration.