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Photos Courtesy of Jessica Baladad

When my hair started falling out, the reality of my breast cancer diagnosis finally hit me. A few weeks prior, I was in the middle of Wrigley Field working on a marketing campaign without the cognizance of a medical crisis. At 33 years old, I felt entitled to have my entire life in front of me. I maintained a healthy lifestyle; I worked out regularly. But it didn’t matter. On August 6, 2018, I became the fourth generation on my paternal side to face breast cancer, and yet, no one had ever tested positive for any known gene mutation. 

I owe my life to a serendipitous discovery of a lump in my breast during my freshman year in college. In 2003 I was taking a shower when I found a walnut-sized mass in the 6 o’clock position of my right side. The mobile nodule was diagnosed as a fibroadenoma, and the size and growth rate warranted a lumpectomy. That experience triggered my monthly self exam routine. Fifteen years later I was in the shower performing a self exam and detected a dense lump rooted on my left side in the 3 o’clock position. Pathology called it Stage 2B invasive ductal carcinoma. 

After I lost my hair, I went public with my diagnosis, and my peers approached me with morbid curiosity, though some inquiries were sincere. 

“How did you know to get diagnosed?”

“I do self exams every month. Don’t you?” Crickets. 

I was compelled to change their silence into an actionable response. 

During the pandemic I became the first breast cancer patient to create an app that shows you how to do self exams and get screened, lets you track and monitor your progress and allows you to set reminders. It’s called Feel For Your Life, and it’s encouraged tens of thousands of people to create awareness and take action around breast health advocacy. 

My treatment plan consisted of 16 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, 24 rounds of radiation, a hysterectomy and a 10-hour flap reconstruction. 

Here are five quick questions to ask your doctor:

  1. When should I be doing my self exams, and how often? 
  2. When should I get into a screening routine, and how often should I be screened?
  3. How will my breast density be evaluated, and how will it affect the screenings I receive in the future?
  4. What role do my genetics play in my risk for breast cancer?
  5. What other options do I have to reduce my risk for breast cancer?

If I can save at least one life, it was worth it.