Stories
Ellen
My breast tissue was very dense, and I also had breast lumps come and go throughout my life. At the age of 54, I again noticed a lump. But it didn’t seem to go away this time. I was worried, so in May 2019, I went to my family physician. He examined me and said…
Read MoreNicki
When I turned 40, I went to my GP and asked to be referred for a mammogram. Even though the recommended age for mammograms in Ontario is 50, I felt that I should have one because my aunt (on my mum’s side) had had breast cancer, and my doctor agreed. That mammogram was clear, my…
Read MoreAndrea
It started off as a hunch. It came from anecdotal evidence….talking to friends, speaking with fellow breast cancer survivors. As a peer supporter for Breast Cancer Action Ottawa, I hear more than the average person from women who are affected by breast cancer. It is also a common topic of conversation for me, so it…
Read MoreCynthia
I am a one and half year survivor of breast cancer, with no family history of the disease. For years after my annual mammogram, I received a letter from my gynecologist, stating “normal,” but there was always a note saying, “you have dense breasts.” For a woman who works out every day doing cardio and/or…
Read MoreIn Memory: Anne
We are saddened to learn that Anne passed away in December 2023. Here is her story in her own words: I was diagnosed with bilateral lobular breast cancer in May 2019, but my story starts long before that. I can’t turn back time, but I hope that my story will give other women information, the…
Read MoreCatherine
My story began at the age of 24; I found what I thought was a lump in my right breast. I thought it was going to be nothing serious, especially since I did what we all do in a moment of panic and Googled what it could possibly be. I didn’t feel overly worried and…
Read MoreSharon
In 2013, I figured out I had dense breasts, but didn’t understand what that meant. Every time I went for a mammogram, they were always suspicious of a spot on the lower inside quadrant of my right breast. They couldn’t see it very well, so they always did another scan. Somehow I understood that mammograms…
Read MoreMi-Jung
I didn’t want to tell our sons because I knew I would start crying and that would scare them. But I could see the fear in their eyes anyway when my husband calmly explained that their mom had breast cancer.They were 13 and 15. In 2013, after I discovered a lump in my left breast,…
Read MoreTrisha
Every time I think about the destiny that was planned for me by a healthcare system I trusted, the words of an Ed Sheeran song play in my head, “Memories of a life that’s been loved…but mum, there’s a tear every time that I blink…oh, I’m in pieces, it’s tearing me up, but I know…
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