I am a wife of a caring husband, a mother of 3 amazing grown sons and a “belle-maman” of their kind-hearted partners and a soon-to-be “mamie”. I am a Communications Director and now live in Saint-Simon after living nearly 20 years in Ottawa and also many years in Quispamsis and Moncton. I am a mentor with the Canadian Cancer Society blog and an active Patient Experience Partner Program with Vitalité Health Network.

I was diagnosed with a left breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma) on January 24, 2024, at age 53. So far, I underwent a partial mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy on February 16 to discover, weeks after the surgery, that the cancer was larger than seen on the ultrasound. On top of it, an axillary lymph node dissection was performed. My margins were identified as positive with cancer cells and 4 lymph nodes out of 11 contained macrometastases, the largest measuring 1.3 cm. I then underwent a mastectomy on April 3. This surgery was followed by a hematoma that was surgically drained after 3 weeks of bleeding. My pathology revealed a cancer of 13 foci, Grade 3, the largest measuring 4.3 cm. No magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed before my first or second surgery. My stage 3a cancer required three surgeries (partial and total mastectomy and drainage of a hematoma), dose-dense Chemotherapy (+ PICC line), high dose Radiation, Zoledronic acid (injection every 6 months for 3 years), Letrozole (pill for 5 years), Abemaciclib (pill for 2 years), and a total mastectomy of the right breast.

While back in September 2022, a mammogram came back abnormal. An ultrasound was ordered, and in October, a suspected lesion had led the medical team to send me, the very same day, for a
3D mammogram. They had sent me home reporting that everything was all good. No further
investigation, no magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), no biopsy but in my file, it shows breast
density type D.

After discovering the Dense Breasts Canada website, I reached out by sending an email. I wish to bring awareness to everyone who lives with dense breasts across Canada and in New Brunswick that we can do better with additional screening. When I first spoke with Annie Slight, I knew right away I had found a group of engaged women determined to help Canadian provinces to better treat patients with dense breasts.

DBC Note: Ginette, thank you very much for sharing your story, which shows us that even ultrasound and 3D mammography can miss cancers in dense breasts. Canadian women are being failed by a lack of access to MRI. MRI can find an additional 12-16 cancers per thousand women missed by mammography, whereas ultrasound finds 2-3 and 3D mammography finds 1. We need to use our collective voices to ensure we get the access to the technology that can help find cancer early. Thank you for your awareness raising and advocacy.
?