Tell us about your breast cancer story and please also tell us what you would like women WITHOUT breast cancer to know.
You can also choose to e-mail us your story at info@densebreastscanada.ca. Photos are welcome. Thank you for sharing your story and helping to inform other women.
Stories
Natalie
In February 2019, I found a small lump – the size of a split pea – in my breast. I wasn’t particularly worried as I was only 46, which doesn’t even qualify me for a mammogram. In Alberta, you only start getting a mammogram every other year once you turn 50. It’s no wonder I…
Negar
In April 2020, I found a lump in my breast. Because of the global pandemic, I couldn’t see my family physician in person so I went to urgent care instead. When the doctor saw me, he told me that I should not worry as I don’t have any family history. I asked him to investigate…
Claire
When the radiologist came into the room carrying a biopsy tray, I was hit by a sense of dread as I was not expecting to see it or him. While preparing a biopsy needle, the radiologist was caring and compassionate. As he disinfected my skin and placed sterile drapes on the area, he asked “Have…
Christina
I found a lump in my right breast Feb 2019. The mammogram did not indicate it the day I went. I had dense breasts. My GP had requested an ultrasound along with the mammogram. The breast clinic declined the request. I left concerned but was reassured that my age 51 it was most likely a…
Clare
Clare was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer at the age of 50. I started having yearly mammograms at the age of 41 due to my significant family history. These were always reported as clear. I was never told I had extremely dense breast tissue even though this was reported in each and every one of…
Sara
Breast cancer was always something that hung over my head as my grandmother passed away from the disease in her 50s in the 1990’s. Despite this, my doctor did not recommend any earlier scans or tests for me, as no one else in my family had an experience with cancer. In July of 2020 at…
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…
Nicki
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…
Andrea
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…