Cancer Can Happen at Any Age
- 29-year-old model Philecia La’Bounty was at the movies with her boyfriend when she found a “marble-sized” lump in her breast and got it checked out right away.
- Eight months later, after being denied mammograms and told the lump was likely a cyst, Philecia’s life came crashing down when she finally found out she had stage 4 breast cancer.
- Young women, or women in general, along with people of color, can be victims of medical gaslighting. If you feel something is wrong, don’t stop until you find someone who will take you seriously.
Due to her young age and absence of breast cancer in her family, the Southern California model was unfortunately put off by doctors and told it was likely a benign cyst.
Read More@philecialabounty Misdiagnosed lump that turned into stage 4 breast cancer #cancertok #breastcancer #stage4cancer ♬ original sound – Philecia
She had requested a mammogram twiceand was twice denied. Now 35 year old, Philecia is still on chemotherapy treatment and living with stage 4 cancer. It has been her mission to make young women aware that they are not invincible from an early breast cancer diagnosis.
“Had I seen someone that I related to, that was posting about this, I would have taken my situation more seriously,” she told Insider “I would have fought harder. I would have found a way to pay for a mammogram.”
Support Through Stage 4 Cancer
Nearly nine years later, the boyfriend at the movie theater, Brent Maggard, 38, is still in Philecia’s life, and has been more supportive than she ever dreamed of.
Philecia, who is an avid motorcycle rider, says that the pair went from a “hook up situation” to him being her partner of 8 1/2 years and her “cancer care giver.”
“You've kept our adventures life going through covid and cancer, which I know truly saved my life and was incredibly difficult for you,” she wrote in the appreciation post for her love.
“You've given me memories and moments to keep fighting for. You breath life into my dark moments, you've seen me at my absolutely lowest and held me in tears while celebrating massive wins.”
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Philecia is also very fortunate that her last pet scan shows no evidence of disease, but she will have to be on the oral chemotherapy pills for the rest of her life, as her type of cancer, she says, is “hormone-fueled.” She also has to take hormone-blocking pills as part of her treatment, which has put her into early menopause.
How Treatment Affects Fertility
Through her own research prior to starting chemo, Philecia found out that cancer treatment can cause infertility, which many people are not aware of. “I freaked out,” she said.
Confronting her oncologist, they said, “I’m trying to save your life. I don’t have time to discuss every option.”
Preserving Fertility During Cancer Treatment What Are the Options?
Luckily, Philecia was approved to still go through the process and have the egg-retrieval surgery. She has a total of 10 eggs should she choose the route of surrogacy when she is ready, as it would be too risky to carry a baby herself, due to the possibility of her cancer coming back.
“I’ve always wanted to carry my own children,” she said. “That’s something I’m still in therapy for today.”
Metastatic breast cancer is incurable, but is managed as a disease through treatment. These advanced treatments have come a long way, and just know that you are not a statistic. There are more and more women living long lives with stage 4 breast cancer.
Being your own advocate is always important when it comes to cancer care. And by doing so, you can make sure that your doctor sees you as an individual.
Young women, or women in general, along with people of color, can be victims of medical gaslighting. If you feel something is wrong, don’t stop until you find someone who will take you seriously.
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