As told to Jacquelyne Froeber

February 4 is World Cancer Day.

I’d wanted a breast reduction for pretty much my entire adult life.

I often dreamed about what it would be like to work out — or just feel comfortable in my clothing — without constant back pain or the uncomfortable side effect of my DD breasts weighing me down.

Most of the women in my family have large, dense breasts, but no one ever talked much about how large breasts affected their quality of life. Breast cancer also ran in my family, tracing back to my maternal grandmother who had a mastectomy in her 50s, so I understood the importance of routine mammograms and checking for anything unusual.

As I got older, I started to seriously consider the reality of having a breast reduction procedure. After my daughter was born, and I put breastfeeding behind me, I decided it was time to finally take the leap at 40 years old.

I had breast reduction surgery in December 2024, and the procedure went according to plan. I left my plastic surgeon’s office feeling a literal weight lifted off my chest and the immediate feeling that I had changed the quality of my life for the better.

About a week into recovery, my plastic surgeon called unexpectedly.

I thought she was checking up on me (how sweet!). I had forgotten that my breast tissue had been sent to a pathology lab to be tested for abnormal cells. This was routine after breast reduction surgery, so I didn’t think much about it.

2025

What I didn’t know was that my plastic surgeon had noticed something unusual during the procedure — a significant bleed in my left breast and abnormal-looking tissue, which could be an indicator of cancer.

She hadn’t said anything before now because there was no way of knowing without testing.

“There’s no easy way to say this. Your pathology results came back, and they found cancer in your left breast,” she said.

I immediately felt all the blood drain from my body as I sat down on the side of my bed.

The tissue had come back positive for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) — a common type of breast cancer found in the milk ducts.

DCIS is also known as stage 0, meaning it was in the earliest stage possible and hadn’t spread to surrounding breast tissue or other parts of the body.

All of this was good news, but my brain had already gone to a dark place. I panicked. My first immediate thought was I have to be here for my daughter — I can’t leave her like this.

My plastic surgeon was very straightforward with me. “This is not going to take you away from your daughter. You have some choices to make, but we’re going to help you get the care that you need.”

Both my plastic surgeon and the pathologist who reviewed my breast tissue samples seemed confident that all the cancer was removed during the reduction.

However, I still needed follow-up testing to make sure we were taking every precaution possible.

I was still in shock after we hung up the phone. I felt numb all over my body. I thought I was doing everything right. I had routine mammograms every year — my most recent one was a few months before the surgery.

Up until that point, I’d only had a clogged milk duck in my left breast after I completed breastfeeding my daughter.

I immediately called my OB-GYN to discuss the discomfort and the fact that blood and pus had come out of my nipple. I had a mammogram and the results didn’t reveal anything abnormal.

I also had fibroadenomas — non-cancerous lumps — in both breasts. I’d had one of the fibroadenoma’s biopsied in my right breast to rule out cancer —- but not the lumps in my left breast. Looking back, I wish I would’ve pushed for a biopsy in the left breast considering that’s where the DCIS was found.

But then it hit me: This diagnosis was a gift.

I’d done everything I was supposed to do, but there was still cancer. And because of the surgery, we may have caught it before it turned deadly.

My plastic surgeon kept her word and helped me get into all my follow-up appointments within a few weeks. I was so grateful to have her by my side and guiding me through the necessary tests. I often thought of her words — that this wasn’t going to take me away from my daughter — and they gave me strength and optimism during a very stressful time.

2025

About a month after the cancer call, all my follow-up tests confirmed that the cancer was removed during the reduction surgery.

It was basically like I’d had a lumpectomy — I just didn’t know it. And the best part: I didn’t need chemotherapy. Radiation, in addition to a mastectomy, were both options I could take to reduce the chances of reoccurrence. But neither one was mandatory according to my surgeon, so I decided to move forward with testing every six months, alternating between a mammogram and an MRI for two years when recurrence is most likely.

I felt confident in this choice because I had significantly reduced the size of my breasts to a C cup and no longer had dense breast tissue, which meant anything abnormal would be easier to see.

Looking back, it feels surreal that when I finally did something for myself — when I finally got the breast reduction surgery I’d wanted for so long — it probably saved my life.

Now, 16 months after my reduction and cancer diagnosis, I’m still cancer-free.

My doctors said that if my next six-month checkup still indicates no cancer, I can go back to annual mammograms.

I carry a sense of gratitude with me every day for the way my situation unfolded. Overall, this experience has taught me that self-care is healthcare. Like so many women, I have a hard time prioritizing my own needs. I’m a mom, a caregiver for my mother and career woman.

However, I’ve learned to be mindful about taking time for myself and not allowing the “mom guilt” to trickle in. I’m a good mother and I’m a good daughter and carving time out for myself doesn’t take away from any of that.

I hope that by sharing my story I can help other women in some way. Because together, we’re stronger.

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Our Real Women, Real Stories are the authentic experiences of real-life women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HealthyWomen.

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