Many women with lobular breast cancer have found the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) after they were diagnosed. They want to help build a community among peers, to share the most current information about ILC detection, treatment and clinical trials, and to raise awareness about this common yet understudied breast cancer subtype that needs more research. Sharing their stories is one of those ways.
Meet Jacque
I was born in California and moved to Indiana, PA, when my husband accepted a teaching job at a university. I am an academic advisor and a mom to two grown children.
In 2019, I discovered a hard, gritty, and annoying lump under my left arm/breast. I mentioned it to my OB-GYN, and he agreed we should take another look. I had a mammogram and ultrasound. The radiologist said to keep an eye on it, but it wasn’t anything. In early December, my new OB-GYN (my old one had retired) scheduled me for a needle biopsy after I told her I noticed a change. It was then that I got the call and was told, “You have breast cancer.”
My husband and I decided to go to a hospital in Pittsburgh for a second opinion on my cancer. There I was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive lobular carcinoma. Soon after, I started chemotherapy and finished six and a half months later. Treatment included two lumpectomies and daily radiation in Pittsburgh, with my husband driving me every day during COVID. Since last December, I have been taking Tamoxifen.
Learning that ILC Is Different
I found out about the LBCA while in the hospital waiting room in Pittsburgh. I saw their brochure and grabbed it because I was told by my medical team that ILC is different. I had never heard of ILC before my diagnosis, and I remember reading the brochure and then asking more questions.
Since that time, I have signed up for LBCA’s newsletter and follow them on social media. I have read through many stories of lobular breast cancer survivors and have learned so much. I am extremely interested in learning about changes I can make and any preventative medicines that would be helpful for me. I cannot imagine going through the last year of my life again, at 70+ years instead of in my mid-50s. Not a party I want an invitation to.
The journey of CC – also known as my COVID Cancer – taught me to ask and accept help, have compassion for others, and appreciate my family and friends. I am forever grateful.
Would you like to tell others your ILC story? Please email communications@lobularbreastcancer.org to request more information on how to submit your story.
