Did you know that about 1 in 8 women (13%) in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime?

In early July 2025, I found a lump in my right breast. I immediately contacted my doctor, who scheduled a mammogram and ultrasound a few weeks later. After those tests, I was told I needed a biopsy. I had no idea that August 1, 2025, would become one of the most life-changing days of my life.

Here is my story.

As many of you know, my sister, Shannon, was diagnosed with Stage IV cervical cancer in April 2025. We later learned she also had early-stage breast cancer—a completely separate diagnosis from her aggressive cervical cancer.

One day, Shannon asked her friend Michele, who was staying with her, for some tape. She wanted to hang her breast cancer treatment protocol on her bedroom door. Michele thought it was a little unusual, wondering why Shannon was focused on that when she was battling such an aggressive cancer. Shannon simply replied, “I don’t want to forget.”

On the very same day Shannon passed away, I received the devastating phone call confirming that my biopsy showed I had breast cancer. As I held Shannon’s hand during her final moments, I whispered to her that it was time for her to become my angel—to watch over me and help me through the battle that was just beginning.

After Shannon passed away, I was at her house helping with things when I noticed the paper still taped to her bedroom door. I took it down and read it. As I looked through the treatment protocol, I realized it described the exact type of breast cancer I had just been diagnosed with.  I brought the paper to my doctor. As we discussed my treatment plan, she looked at it and said, “Katie, this is divine. This is the exact protocol we would recommend for you because you’re HER2-negative.”

At that moment, it felt like Shannon was still taking care of me.

I was diagnosed with Stage IB invasive ductal carcinoma (ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative) breast cancer. On September 12, 2025, I underwent a double mastectomy with reconstruction. Following surgery, I completed chemotherapy, beginning with Adriamycin and Cytoxan every two weeks, followed by 12 weekly Taxol treatments. My final chemotherapy treatment was on April 2, 2026.

Looking back, I realize I never truly had the chance to grieve the loss of my mom and my sister, who both passed away just six weeks apart. Then I was thrust into my own fight against cancer. The weight of everything that happened last year is something I’m still learning to process.

Today, I choose to move forward by raising awareness about breast cancer. If sharing my story encourages even one woman to schedule a mammogram, perform a self-exam, or have a lump checked without delay, then it is worth telling.

To my family and friends who walked this journey before me and shared your stories—thank you. You are the reason I didn’t ignore my lump or convince myself it could wait. Your courage helped save my life.

That is why I will proudly walk with TEAM SAVE 2nd Base – Warriors and Wings—for the survivors, for those still fighting, and in honor of the incredible women who earned their angel wings far too soon.

Early detection saves lives. Please listen to your body, trust your instincts, and never put off getting checked.