I have to begin with a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love and support I have received. I will never forget the generosity and kindness shown to me during such a difficult time in my life.

This diagnosis has been very shocking and very hard to come to terms with but knowing that I have so many people cheering me on makes it more bearable.

I know many of you have been wanting an update. After over a month of many scans, biopsies, and appointments, I finally have a clear treatment plan. So I’ll share here and will continue to do so during my treatment and recovery.

I have triple-positive invasive ductal carcinoma. This means I have breast cancer that is fueled by estrogen, progesterone and a protein known as HER-2. Preoperative diagnostics put me at Stage 1 with a known invasive cancer measuring approximately 1.5 cm. However, there is some concern that the actual cancer may be larger.

My cancer is very aggressive but thankfully, it looks like I was able to catch it early. I’ve learned that cancer in younger women is often very aggressive. And we don’t get screening mammograms or ultrasounds. So please, check your body, know your body and advocate for yourself. I didn’t think this would happen to me, I have no family history and no risk factors, but it did. And this early self-detection will likely save my life.

My treatment plan will continue to evolve but right now the plan is chemo (starting 11/26), surgery, radiation and 5-10 years of endocrine therapy. It is going to be a long, difficult road and I will have to give up a lot to get better and prevent recurrence. It is not what I imagined for my life and I know I will struggle but that suffering also comes with so much joy and gratitude.

Thank you for caring and for all that you have done/will do to support me. Sending a lot of love,

Leah