Category: Stories of Hope

I had never heard of secondary breast cancer, until I received a phone call telling me I had it, almost two years ago. It is difficult for me to understand how it is possible that I went through 16 months of treatment for what I now know was primary breast cancer, yet I never heard the word secondary at any point during my mastectomy surgery, 18 weeks of chemotherapy, three weeks of radio therapy, one year of targeted therapy or subsequent hormone therapy.

I have been living with secondary breast cancer since September 2005.....19 1⁄2 years. I was diagnosed with de novo secondary breast cancer at the age of 32: Estrogen -, Progesterone +, HER2 +.

I was first diagnosed with Triple Negative Stage 3 breast cancer in July 2009, had a recurrence in 2012, and by March 2016, it was Stage 4. By January 2020, I had more or less run out of treatment options and was offered a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Today for International Women's Day (8 March) we're launching our Stories of Hope, featuring narratives from women and men who are living with secondary breast cancer. These are stories that will encourage and inspire our community, and let them know they are not alone living with this disease.