In April 2025, Sara was preparing to move cross-country with her husband and their 3-year-old daughter. “My husband is in the Navy and received orders to move from Utah to Florida,” Sara said. “I was packing, prepping my daughter.” A move across the country with a toddler was daunting enough. Then Sara felt a lump in her right breast.
Mammogram and Ultrasound
Sara reached out to her primary care physician and was able to get in the same day. “By the look on his face, I knew it was something,” Sara recalled.
Initially, Sara’s mammogram was scheduled for three weeks out, but she called and asked if she could get in sooner. “I told them I didn’t mind driving somewhere for it, I just wanted to get in sooner,” she said.
Within a week, Sara had the mammogram and a breast ultrasound on the same day. “I was trying to be positive during this time, but really, I felt that it wasn’t looking good,” she said. “The technician and the doctor said we needed a breast biopsy.” Sara’s team did biopsies of the mass as well as several lymph nodes. The results were ready just hours later.
Breast Cancer Diagnosis
The biopsy revealed Sara had stage 3a breast cancer. “When they said breast cancer, I just felt silence at first,” Sara said. “Everything, no matter how small or big, just disappeared. My vision board of my life disappeared. I realized that this was going to be a day-by-day thing moving forward.”
Change in Orders
Sara and her husband realized staying in Utah would be for the best – it’s where their church, friends and family lived. They were familiar with the health care system.
“Luckily, the military has a program where they assign the military member a base close to home when something like this happens,” Sara explained. “That meant my husband could be stationed in Utah instead of Florida.” With the stress of a move now off the table, Sara could focus on her treatment.
Breast Cancer Treatment Plan
Sara had surgery to have a port placed, since her treatment plan would start with chemotherapy, followed by surgery and radiation therapy. “I asked why not do surgery first, but they said we needed to do chemo, we needed to not wait, to see if the tumor would shrink,” she said. She finished chemotherapy at the end of September. In early November, Sara will undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, followed by radiation.
Normalizing Treatment
It was important for Sara to make her daughter feel at ease with the changes that were coming. “She loves to play pretend and she has really loved playing doctor,” Sara said. “So, I decided to explain to her what was happening to mommy. She went with me to my first appointment and saw the stethoscope and me having my vitals taken.”
Sara explained the procedures she’d be having and her cousin, an oncology nurse, recommended books for Sara and her husband to read to their daughter. “It’s not easy to explain to her what is happening, but it was easy to kind of guide her through what is going on with me,” Sara said.
Reclaiming Herself
“Each chemo session I followed with movement – a hike to reclaim energy, a run to feel alive. My faith offers me hope and peace and anchors me,” Sara said. “Cancer reshapes me, but it doesn’t define me.”
Statements and opinions expressed are that of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
