Personal Stories
Marnie, an artist and muralist from Texas, learned she had stage 2 breast cancer in 2016.“The diagnosis was a complete shock. I’d always been healthy,” Marnie said. “I didn’t feel my cancer. I had no symptoms at all.”
After her mother and grandfather were diagnosed with breast cancer, Gretchen Buchanan began participating in fundraising events benefiting Komen, which became more meaningful after her own breast cancer diagnosis. This is her story of finding joy after breast cancer.
In 2016, everything changed for Lisa. She had never heard of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) before her diagnosis. Her first sign that something was wrong was a persistent cough that wouldn’t go away. Despite being prescribed an inhaler for what was thought to be allergy-induced asthma, a chest X-ray revealed fluid in her lungs and […]
Jamie and Tami are no strangers to breast cancer, having lost their biological mom to metastatic breast cancer. However, it came as a shock when they were both diagnosed with breast cancer within two weeks of each other.
In 2009, when Andy was just 25, he lost his mother Kathy to breast cancer. “Her cancer was diagnosed late, and it happened really quickly. It was a very hard time.”
Losing his mother has influenced the way Andy lives his life and how he approaches his music. Growing up, Kathy was a driving force in Andy’s life and his biggest champion. “She was an incredible mother,” he said.
In August 2023, Charnita was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer.“When I got called back in, I really couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It was a gloomy day and I took a picture of the clouds. I thought, this is not how it’s going to end. There’s going to be sunshine again.”
Alyssa Smith has participated in The 3-Day for 18 years and has raised more than $110,000 in honor of her mom, who is living with metastatic breast cancer.
Aleta and Alicia are identical twins. They’ve always done everything together – but going through breast cancer at the same time is something neither of them ever expected. And now that they’re finished with treatment, the twins are ready to advocate on behalf of others with breast cancer.
Knowing your family’s medical history can be a vital tool in understanding and managing your health, particularly when it comes to breast cancer. A strong family history of the disease can increase your risk, making it essential to know your blood relative’s experiences. For Lori, knowing her family history made her extremely vigilant about her […]
Like most women in her family, Lee has dense breasts, so it wasn’t unusual for her to get a call back for additional testing after her yearly mammogram. In June 2023, that additional testing led to a breast caner diagnosis. “The diagnosis was a shock,” she said. “There’s no history of cancer in my family.”
Claudia’s breast cancer diagnosis came as a shock. She was 37, had no symptoms or signs and did not have a family history. She also learned she had the BRCA2 gene mutation. “You get really educated really quickly,” she said.
In 2012, Stasi Trout’s world was shaken when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Following her treatment, she registered for her local Race for the Cure® in Columbus, Ohio, and her team has raised more than $80,000 to support Komen’s work to end breast cancer.
