By Rochelle Broder-Singer
Nobody is prepared for a cancer diagnosis. I certainly wasn’t when I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in November 2023, at 49 years old.
But I learned important lessons that can help you or a loved one.
Fortunately, I knew how to navigate the healthcare system. I had good insurance, an incredible support system, and the financial, transportation and time resources needed to begin my cancer journey. I also had a very early-stage, treatable breast cancer, detected during a routine annual screening mammogram and ultrasound.
My prognosis was, and is, excellent.
Navigating diagnosis and treatment, I learned several things that I think can help anyone diagnosed with breast cancer and anyone supporting someone on this journey, especially since we just observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Here are six things you should know:
1 - Get a second opinion
My cancer was the most common type of breast cancer: invasive ductal carcinoma, estrogen-receptor-positive, progesterone-receptor positive, HER2-negative. The mass was really small.
Still, I got a second opinion – including new pathology on my biopsy sample, from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System.
My Sylvester surgeon obtained my biopsy sample and Sylvester re-did the lab work to arrive at an independent diagnosis. Having a correct, confirmed diagnosis is a crucial, but often overlooked step. Both of the surgeons I saw gave identical diagnoses. This gave me confidence in my treatment plan, mainly because Sylvester is South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated center, among the top 4% of cancer centers in the country.
2 - Cancer can happen to anyone
I don’t have a family history of breast cancer or any known DNA risk markers. I eat healthy, exercise and take care of my mental and physical health. Even relatively young, healthy, low-risk people get cancer. It happens.
3 - Expect unexpected emotions
As I absorbed the news of my cancer, I wasn’t scared, sad or even angry. I was annoyed. Getting from diagnosis to surgery requires lots of paperwork, pre-surgery appointments, and phone calls. I did eventually experience sadness and fear, but during my early journey, I mostly experienced annoyance and gratitude. And once the surgery and radiation were finally done, I was mostly just tired and grateful. Your feelings about your cancer will likely differ from what other people expect.
4 - Don’t assume you know your treatment path
Within 24 hours of diagnosis, I had already decided that I would have a mastectomy. Imagine my shock when both surgeons told me that the standard of care for my type and size of cancer was lumpectomy (medically known as partial mastectomy) followed by radiation. I followed their recommendations and had surgery at Sylvester, followed by radiation.
5 - Research can help your decision-making
When the surgeons recommended lumpectomy plus radiation, they explained that research shows long-term survival rates with this approach are at least as good as with mastectomy.
I didn’t take their word for it. I researched it on UM’s InventUM website, Komen.org and the National Institutes of Health’s “Breast Cancer” StatPearls. They all use highly accessible language and share high-quality science.
6 - Keep a list of questions
I had a running checklist of questions. I just kept adding to it – including questions family and friends asked me that I couldn’t answer. When I met with a doctor, I took the list with me, checking off questions they answered. Getting flustered and forgetting things is easy, so the checklist is invaluable.
Everyone’s breast cancer journey is different. You’re considered a survivor from the moment of your diagnosis. Take advantage of the resources that centers like Sylvester offer, including dietitians, social workers, emotional and financial counseling.
Lean on family or friends, the national Susan G. Komen Breast Care Helpline, a local support group. And, whether you’re a breast cancer patient or not, have a breast cancer screening plan and follow it.
Early detection is key; it might save your life.
Rochelle Broder-Singer lives in South Florida and works in communications. She is a breast cancer survivor at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
