A 30-Year-Old Mom's Cancer Breast Story
- A young mom named Ash, known on TikTok as @healthyhappyash, is sharing her breast cancer story to inspire young women to check their breasts and push for answers when something seems wrong.
- After seeing several doctors and being told not to worry, Ash took it upon herself to undergo testing that wasn’t covered by her insurance -ultimately leading to her diagnosis.
- If doing breast self-exams is something that works for you, and your doctor agrees, then you should do it.
- “When we think about breast cancer prevention and awareness, the first step is that women need to feel comfortable with their breasts and know what their breasts feel like normally,” Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
- Facing cancer as a parent can be an incredibly difficult task. But having children who depend on you can also provide another reason to fight the disease with everything you've got.
“Knowledge is power and knowing your body is so important,” Ash, who has nearly 14,000 followers on TikTok, wrote in a recent post sharing her story on the video-sharing platform.
Read MoreThe discovery prompted her to take several trips to doctors, only for them to reassure her she was “fine” and insist she was “too young” to have anything wrong, Ash recounted, noting in the comments section of her post that some doctors likened her “dimple” as having to do with scar tissue from a prior surgery.
@healthyhappyash Replying to @healthyhappyash i am a survivor and will continue to share my story for everyone to hear 💕 knowledge is power and knowing your body is so important! #NextLevelDish #lowtox #lowtoxliving #lowtoxswap #lowtoxlifestyle #lowtoxtiktok #survivor
It wasn’t until she underwent testing that wasn’t covered by her insurance and was told quickly after that something looked “majorly suspicious” and advised to see a breast specialist, who performed an ultrasound and a biopsy.
Before her biopsy confirmed she had cancer, Ash worried about her toddler son and whether she would be able to be around for his fourth birthday. However, her doctor insisted she would be able see her son turn “at least 40.”
Handling Fear When You Get the Diagnosis
“So, at that moment, I said ‘That’s it. If this is truly it, I’m going to fight like hell and I’m not going to let it bring me down. And that’s exactly what I did when I was called a few days later that it was cancer,” Ash said, a moment, which was followed by surgery, chemo, and all else that was needed to fight off disease.
“When I say to feel them [breasts] on the first [of each month], when I say to do a self-breast exam – this is why. Look at them in the mirror, know what they look like, and be your own advocate.”
Thankfully, Ash caught the disease in time and was able to fight it successfully.
Experts Discuss Breast Exams
In another TikTok video, Ash is seen standing alongside the shore with her toes in the water and sand, with overlay text reading, “The day I got diagnosed with Breast Cancer at 30, I came home and told my husband, ‘when I beat this I’m putting my toes in the ocean,’…and this was that moment.”
“Still cry thinking of this moment,” she added, referring to the video clip of her at what appears to be a beach. The video was accompanied by the inspirational song “Rise Up” by Andra Day.
Her post prompted dozens of people to thank her for sharing her story and many calling her “strong” and an “inspiration.”
One person commented, “I found out today I have breast cancer. Your story is inspirational. I'm going to fight and and put my toes in the sea too,” to which Ash replied, “You've got this! I'm here for you.”
Another wrote, “Only those have crawled, fought, and finally stood up and walked through it truly understand this.”
“Only those have crawled, fought, and finally stood up and walked through it truly understand this,” commented a third person.
@healthyhappyash and i was crying like a baby in this moment, so proud of myself and everything i went through to survive 💜 #lowtoxswap #lowtoxliving #lowtoxlifestyle #lowtox #NextLevelDish #lowtoxtiktok #workingmom #stayathomemom #survivor
Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams
Self breast examinations are one of the many areas in breast cancer where a woman needs to decide between what makes sense for her and what the recommended guidelines say. If doing breast self-exams is something that works for you, and your doctor agrees, then you should do it.
How Self Breast Exams Play a Role In Cancer Prevention
It's important to note, however, that the American Cancer Society says there's no clear benefit from breast self-examination. Some organizations, including Breastcancer.org, disagree and recommend regular breast examination, although an age to start is not specified.
Understanding how your breasts look and feel may be one of the ideal ways to decipher when something is not quite right.
“When we think about breast cancer prevention and awareness, the first step is that women need to feel comfortable with their breast and know what their breasts feel like normally,” Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
Here's how, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation:
- While standing straight in front of a mirror, place your hands on your hips and look at your breasts for any swelling, bulging, changes in shape of breast or nipple (inverted), redness, rashes, or any fluid leaking. Then do the same with your arms in the air.
- Next, while lying down, use your right hand to examine your left breast and vice versa, while using your first three fingers to apply pressure. Ensure you cover the entire breast area, from your collarbone to below your ribcage and from your armpit to your cleavage area. Do the same self-exam standing or sitting up. Be sure to use light to medium pressure for the middle breast area and firmer pressure when feeling deep breast tissue.
Once you get the hang of it, Dr. Comen recommends you do it once a month after your period. However, it should be emphasized that breast self-examination is NOT a replacement for mammography.
Speak Up if You Think Something Is Wrong
"Some women have what's called fibrocystic breasts, meaning they have very lumpy, bumpy breasts, and it's hard for them to know what's normal and what's not,” Comen explained. “It doesn't have to be exactly every month, but not right before the period because their breasts may be more swollen and tender after their period.”
Some women feel the best way to perform a self-exam in the shower when it’s easy for your hands to glide over your breasts or while laying down, but you can find the setting that works best for you. As a warning, Dr. Comen wants to remind people of areas containing breast tissue they might not be aware of.
“If a woman feels a lump in her axilla, or her armpit, that's also important to tell their doctor about,” she said. “That could be a lymph node that has breast cancer in it, it could be something totally unrelated, like they have a rash, and so they just have an enlarged lymph node.
“But it's important to know that breast tissue can extend all the way up into the armpit. It can also extend closer to the clavicle… So, anything in that quadrant that a woman feels that is abnormal, they really should take the time to talk to their doctor.”
Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Being aware of how your breasts normally look and feel is an important factor when it comes to breast cancer detection. Doing regular self-exams is one way to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally feel so that you will be able to identify anything out of the ordinary like a lump or hard mass.
Some other symptoms to look out for, which SurvivorNet recommends, include:
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit)
- Any change in the size or shape of the breast
- Swelling on all or part of the breast
- Skin dimpling or peeling
- Breast or nipple pain
- Nipple turning inward
- Redness or scaliness of breast or nipple skin
- Nipple discharge (not associated with breastfeeding)
Of course, these symptoms can be due to things other than cancer. For example, a lot of women experience breast tenderness during certain times in their menstrual cycles. If you're worried talk to your doctor about it. They may want to perform an exam, or even schedule a mammogram just to be safe.
Something to Fight For: A Survivor Story
Battling Cancer as a Parent
Facing cancer while navigating your job as a parent can be super challenging. Additionally, fearful thoughts about leaving your children may be harder to handle than the the actual diagnosis itself.
Breast cancer survivor Gina de Givenchy previously spoke with SurvivorNet about going through cancer treatment as the mother of a 12-year-old girl.
Telling Your Kids You Have Cancer 'When it Comes to Your Kids, You Want to Protect Them'
Givenchy said, “I felt it was important to mask it because I really wanted her to know that I was going to be OK. I didn't want her to see me weak and sickly. When it comes to your kids, I think you always want to sort of protect them.”
The pressures of parenthood can be daunting during a cancer journey, but having little ones that depend on you can also provide another source of motivation to fight for your life.
Jovannie Lorenzo understand this all to well, as when she was diagnosed with colon cancer at 32, she felt an immense amount of fear because she was a single parent of her three kids. Going into her cancer battle, Lorenzo knew she would do everything in her power to be around to raise them.
MORE: Facing a Cancer Diagnosis as a Single Parent: "I Knew I Had to Fight for My Life"
"I knew that I had to do everything possible to be here for my children," Lorenzo told SurvivorNet. "They are my saving grace. They are the reason I wake up every morning. They are the reason why I fight every single day and I make a choice to be positive, to be happy, and to move forward."
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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