Stories

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

I am a one and half year survivor of breast cancer, with no family history of the disease. For years after my annual mammogram, I received a letter from my gynecologist, stating “normal,” but there was always a note saying, “you have dense breasts.” For a woman who works out every day doing cardio and/or…

In 2013, I figured out I had dense breasts, but didn’t understand what that meant. Every time I went for a mammogram, they were always suspicious of a spot on the lower inside quadrant of my right breast. They couldn’t see it very well, so they always did another scan. Somehow I understood that mammograms…