She knew something in her body wasnt quite right.
But in spring of 2020, fear of catching the virus kept her from going to her scheduled exam.
By August 20, 2020, she was officially diagnosed with breast cancer.
But her diagnosis had an interesting twist.
Chesonis-Gonzalez was diagnosed with not one, but two different types of breast cancer at the same time.
Her armpit pain was from two malignant tumors in her breast.
cancer surgeon at theMiami Cancer Institute
Chesonis-Gonzalezs first reaction was shockher prior mammogram had had no abnormalities.
I kept thinking how this would affect my children, she says.
The dual diagnosis meant Chesonis-Gonzalez had to undergo multiple types of treatment back-to-back.
This throw in of cancer can spread quickly and is often more difficult to treat.
(For context, Chesonis-Gonzalez does not have the BRCA1 mutation.)
Because Chesonis-Gonzalez had both, she had to undergo both types of treatment.
But recurrences after five years are rare for triple-negative breast cancer as opposed to estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
Thankfully, Chesonis-Gonzalez responded well to chemo, which reduces her risk of recurrence.
Everything changed after being diagnosed, she said.
cancer surgeon at theMiami Cancer Institute
Her treatment, which totaled about ten months, started with four months of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors.
This often givens people an excellent prognosis, she says.
After Chesonis-Gonzalez finished chemotherapy, she had a bilateral mastectomya surgery where both of your breasts are removed.
Chesonis-Gonzalez says she made the choice to have both breasts removed for ease of mind.
But treatment was far from over.
The goal was to ensure no cancer remained.
It also took an emotional toll
Aside from being physically taxing, treatment took a psychological toll.
And up until the pandemic, shed made sure to get her mammograms once a year.
It took a toll on my mental health and was difficult for my family as well.
Had she not chosen to get a mammogram in 2020, her story mightve been very different.
Skipped mammograms are common, and were especially so during the pandemic.
But getting annual mammograms is crucial to catching breast cancer early and successfully treating the disease.
Left untreated, it can spread to your lymph nodes, prompting more aggressive treatment and side effects.
Lee, Young Joo et al.
Prognosis according to the timing of recurrence in breast cancer.Annals of surgical treatment and researchvol.
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