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Young adults with breast cancer have many life experiences in common, yet each person has their own story and unique challenges such as fertility concerns, parenting young children, managing careers, and sustaining relationships. Just as no two cancers
are alike, no two patients' journeys are alike. Whatever the journey involves, the care team at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers can offer expertise and support.
The following young women share their experiences and offer insights into what they've learned and what has guided them along the way.
"Your life is not over. It's not over. There will be great times and there will be challenging times."
In 2017, at the age of 33, Alexis found a lump in her breast while on a business trip. She mentioned it to her mother, who urged her to get it checked out when she returned home. Alexis thought it might be an early-stage breast cancer. When she was referred
to Dana-Farber and found out that it was stage 4, "it was completely shocking and obviously devastating."
As someone who had always exercised and practiced a healthy lifestyle, Alexis vowed that after chemotherapy, she was going to get even stronger than before she got sick.
In this video series, learn about Alexis' decision to take up weight lifting, how she gets through the emotional ups and downs, and how things are going now that she is more than a year out from her initial diagnosis.
Maggie: Concerned about Fertility
"You're 28-years old and you want to do everything you can to ensure this doesn't come back, but at the same time you want to preserve your fertility as much as possible."
Maggie was faced with a number of hard choices when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28. Some of the biggest decisions centered around her ability to have children later in life, and whether treatment would affect her future fertility.
Read about the treatment plan she and her oncologist developed to
preserve fertility while effectively treating Maggie's breast cancer.
Listen to a
podcast with Maggie speaking to her oncologist,
Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, co-founder/director of the Young and Strong program, as they discuss some of the important decisions young breast cancer patients face.
Amanda and Judy: Mastectomy, or Not — Breast Cancer Surgery Decisions
"It's important to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches."
Although they were both diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, Amanda and Judy chose two different surgical treatments.
Listen to a
podcast in which they discuss their surgery options and decisions along with
Tari King, MD, chief of breast surgery at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.
Read their story and learn what researchers say about
deciding whether or not to have a mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Meghan: Breast Cancer During Pregnancy
"My first thoughts were: Will this baby live? Will I Live? Who is going to read bedtime stories?"
While visiting her obstetrician in May 2012, 30-year-old Meghan Martin received life-changing news. The mother of two, who was seven-months pregnant with her third boy, learned she had breast cancer.
Watch a video of Meghan Martin telling her story at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers Executive Council Breakfast.
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Erin: Reassurance after a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
"All I kept thinking about were my children, and what was going to happen."
Erin was diagnosed in 2014 with triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 36. She also tested positive for a mutation of the BRCA gene. As a mother of two young boys, she was very worried about what would happen, but a conversation with her clinician, Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, director of at the Young and Strong Program, proved to be deeply reassuring. Today, she is cancer-free and continues to do well.
Learn more about
triple-negative breast cancer.
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Colleen and Gabby: Balancing Motherhood and Breast Cancer
"That was the first time I realized that life doesn't stop because of a cancer diagnosis."
It was a warm day in November 2013 when Gabby Spear found out she had breast cancer. But even in the midst of the difficult news, her responsibilities as a mom, wife, professional, and community member remained. Like Spear, fellow breast cancer patient
Colleen Sullivan also had to balance cancer treatment with her roles at home and at work.
Listen to a
podcast of Gabby and Colleen discussing the ups and downs of balancing motherhood and breast cancer, how they
communicated about their diagnosis, and how their roles changed throughout the course of treatment.
Read about how
Gabby told her young children she had cancer.
Learn more about
Colleen's care team throughout her cancer journey.
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About Our Patient Stories
Dana-Farber shares patient stories which may include descriptions of actual medical results. Dana-Farber provides personalized care for each patient based on their unique needs; their experiences and results will vary.