Mindy is a medically based speech-language pathologist who resides in southwest Missouri. An avid runner, she was diagnosed in early 2016 with stage 2 breast cancer soon after discovering a lump in her left breast upon returning from an outdoor run. Five months of IV chemotherapy and a lumpectomy-turned-mastectomy would ensue in addition to full […]
Abigail George is a senior at Austin College, studying Biology and Non-Profit Organizations. She is very passionate about women’s health and social justice. Abigail has been an intern for the AiRS Foundation in hopes of learning about the effects of breast cancer on body image and recently submitted the following research article. According to the Breast […]
My breast cancer diagnosis turned my world upside down. As I hung up the phone, my physician’s words echoed, “Unfortunately, your biopsy results were positive for breast cancer.” I stood alone in my dining room in a state of paralytic shock. The memory of my mother immediately began to fill my mind, as I realized that I had inherited the same […]
Brianne was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of 2020. Within the next 13 months, she had six surgeries including a double mastectomy, an incision revision, and a LAT flap procedure. Brianne was unable to work for six weeks due to her most recent surgery, and it took her a while to pay for the […]
As a young girl, I witnessed my grandmother lose a long battle to ovarian cancer. I saw my 27 year old aunt undergo a radical mastectomy and radiation at a time when she had no options for breast reconstruction. There were many stories after that including another aunt. A 2x survivor who endured ovarian cancer […]
Anna Crollman was 27 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She immediately looked to blogs for support during her cancer journey, but found nothing. At that point, she decided to fill that void and start blogging to share her story and how fashion and beauty helped her navigate through some of the traumas associated […]
Morgan Hare was recently interviewed by the Michelle Beck at the Breast Friends Cancer Support Network to discuss the importance of reconstruction options for women who undergo surgery for breast cancer. The Breast Friends Cancer Support Network is working to ensure that no woman goes through a diagnosis of cancer alone. They have built a […]
In 2011, Tamara Sieger discovered a lump in the shower at age 39, just two months after receiving a clear screening mammogram. Additional screening and an MRI confirmed she had stage 2, grade 3 highly aggressive invasive ductal carcinoma, ER+, PR+ and HER2+. She underwent a mastectomy and multiple reconstruction procedures over the course of […]
Jennifer Johnson, 42, is a single mother to two children. With only one household income, she knew she would need financial assistance in order to receive breast reconstruction surgery. Jennifer also knew that not being able to work after the surgery would be a “great strain” on her family. However, she really needed the procedure: […]
Selina Padilla, 61, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in December of 2019. She underwent chemotherapy and the removal and reconstruction of both breasts in 2020 and 2021. Selina said that “after a significant time of recovery from both surgeries my body has revealed the depth of the trauma it went through. I have […]
