Kate's Story

October 2022, I was having dinner with two friends whose mothers had both battled breast cancer. They were discussing scheduling their mammograms, and I thought to myself, “I’m so lucky I don’t have to worry about that.” Still, I scheduled my own, since I was a couple of months late and figured it was time to get it done.

As crazy as it sounds, I had felt a lump in my breast, but having dense, lumpy breasts, I’d felt many lumps before, and they always went away. When I finally went for my mammogram in December 2022, the right side hurt more than usual, and a chill ran down my spine.

The next day, I received a call to come back for an ultrasound. I was worried but tried to reassure myself, recalling a similar experience from a few years prior. During the ultrasound, the technician took a long time, repeatedly apologizing before calling in the doctor. After he examined the images, he said, “I’m 99% sure you’re fine, but I want to be 100%, so let’s schedule an MRI just to be cautious.” Since it was December, the MRI wasn’t scheduled until mid-January, but I felt reassured by his confidence.

After the MRI, I received the news that they needed to do a biopsy. Finally I got very, very scared.

Everyone remembers the moment they receive life-changing news, and mine split my life into two parts: before and after. “I’m sorry to tell you this: you have Stage 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.” I didn't remember anything she said after that.

Following our meeting and creating a treatment plan, I felt somewhat encouraged. However, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that just 25 miles away in Boston were some of the best hospitals in the country. I called a friend who had survived breast cancer years ago, and she urged me to see her surgeon at Dana-Farber. Confused and overwhelmed, I hesitated because I had already set a plan in motion. Nevertheless, I met her surgeon and immediately liked her. We developed a new treatment plan together.

Before leaving the office, the surgeon mentioned she wanted to review my MRI since she hadn’t seen it yet. While I was busy making countless appointments for my upcoming single mastectomy, the surgeon came back into the room and said: “There’s actually a spot on your other breast that I want to biopsy.” Numb, I went through the motions of a second biopsy the next day.

When they called a few days later to tell me I had cancer in the other breast too, I almost laughed. I just couldn’t believe it. I had two completely different tumors in each breast. I couldn’t stop thinking about what would have happened if I’d continued with the first surgeon, who didn’t find the other tumor. 

In April 2023, I underwent a double mastectomy followed by six weeks of radiation. My oncologist determined that my specific type of cancer would not respond well to chemotherapy, so we opted for an aggressive treatment plan involving medications for the next ten years. To add to the challenges, two weeks after my mastectomy, I ended up in the ER with blood clots in my lungs.

I had always considered myself low-risk—no family history, a clean diet, and regular exercise. Sharing my story publicly feels daunting, but it also feels important. As cliche as it sounds, if I can inspire even one person to be diligent about breast cancer screenings, it’s worth it. I don’t want this to be a secret or something I’m ashamed of. I’m proud of what I’ve been through.  

Someone recently asked me what I’d like other women to know about my journey that might help them -    

• Stay diligent with mammograms, especially if you have dense breasts. Recent research emphasizes the importance of additional ultrasounds for women with dense tissue. My tumor measured 5.5 cm—considered large for breast cancer—and two professionals had difficulty detecting it on the ultrasound.
• Get. A. Second. Opinion. No matter what.
• Blood clots can have different symptoms. The symptoms I had were NOTHING like the ones the surgical team told me to look out for. If it wasn’t for my sister (a doctor), I would have blown them off and waited longer to get checked. 

It’s been a year and a half since that dreaded phone call, and while there has been so much sadness, pain, fear and grief, there has also been so much love, gratitude, growth and appreciation. My family, friends, and community rallied around me with so much love and support I was blown away. I wear my Tiny Tags pink ribbon bracelet as a reminder of what I’ve been through, how strong I am, and how much I have to be grateful for.  

- Kate Duffy, Tiny Tags Product Development Manager