Breast Cancer Patient Stories

Andy Sealy found a lump in her breast. A few weeks later, she was being treated for metastatic breast cancer.

Molly and her mother, Deborah, are breast cancer survivors. After undergoing treatment and reconstruction at Penn Medicine, they were both presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: walk the runway as fashion models at New York Fashion Week.

Jacquie Beck and Kerry O’Riordan McAdam have shared many of life’s experiences. They never expected they’d add Penn Medicine, cancer, and a fundraising gala — held in their honor — to that list.

Kathy had been a nurse and nurse practitioner at Penn for more than two decades, but in the blink of an eye, she became a breast cancer patient in her own workplace.

Genetic testing revealed an inherited mutation that put Lisa at a higher risk for breast and pancreatic cancer. That was just the beginning of her story.

Sara used medical care, meditation and art to recover from high-risk breast cancer. Read Sara’s breast cancer patient story to learn about her journey.

After a discovering a mass in one of her breast, Sarita consulted a radiologist at Penn Medicine. A biopsy confirmed the lump was cancer. The Integrated Breast Center brings together surgeons who specialize in breast cancer and plastic surgery.

Sharon Rivera-Sanchez never dreamed she'd become a voice for diversity in medical research.

When Tawana was 44 years old, a routine mammogram detected breast cancer.

After Traci Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer, she knew she had to do whatever it took to become a survivor. In the time since her diagnosis, Traci is surviving, thriving and helping others on similar cancer journeys.