Kerrianne Eldora’s Story

When were you diagnosed?

When Kerrianne Eldora first received her diagnosis, it felt impossible to separate her own fear from everything else her family was carrying.

Six weeks before Kerrianne was diagnosed, her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer too.

“We were diagnosed six weeks apart from each other,” Kerrianne says.

At the same time, her sister’s sister-in-law was battling colon cancer. Their mother had also been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 and had gone through it twice.

For Kerrianne, having to tell her mother that both of her daughters were now facing breast cancer was incredibly difficult.

“It was just like a black cloud over our head,” she says.

But even in that painful season, Kerrianne’s family came together to support one another. And the message she still carries from that time is clear: awareness matters, and hope matters.

 

How did you find your cancer?

Kerrianne had a negative mammogram in November.

Then, the following May, her doctor called and told her that BRCA gene testing was available. Given her family history, he wanted her to have the test done.

Kerrianne agreed. It was a simple blood test, and she made the appointment.

While she was there, her doctor asked if he could do a breast exam as well.

At first, everything seemed routine. Then Kerrianne noticed his face change.

He kept going over the same spot.

“Dr. Gasparini, is everything okay?” she asked.

He told her he felt a lump. Then he told her he felt one in each breast.

“And that’s where it began,” Kerrianne says.

From there, more appointments followed. Results came in around Memorial Day weekend, and as Kerrianne was processing her own diagnosis, her family shared that her sister had breast cancer too.

It was overwhelming.

Kerrianne remembers parts of that time clearly, but other pieces feel blank.

“I really do think the brain protects you in certain ways,” she says.

The emotions were heavy. Kerrianne was scared not only for herself, but for her sister and for everything they had watched their mother endure.

So she made a choice.

She would take it one day at a time.

“Kerrianne, let’s get through tomorrow,” she told herself. “And then if we get through tomorrow, the next day.”

What did treatment look like for you?

Kerrianne’s treatment began with a lumpectomy.

A year later, her oncologist told her that her statistics had changed. She then needed a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction.

After that came complication after complication.

“I probably have been to the surgery room 20 times since my journey started,” Kerrianne says.

Through all of it, Kerrianne learned how important it was to educate herself, ask questions, communicate clearly, and advocate for her own care.

She had to learn so many things she never expected to know.

“I learned that it was very impactful to educate myself and be an advocate and communicate and use my voice,” she says.

That lesson has stayed with her.

Kerrianne now believes deeply in the importance of using your voice, asking questions, and making sure you understand what is happening in your body and your care.

 

How are you feeling today?

Today, Kerrianne feels good.

She will never forget where she has come from or what she has been through, but she also knows that today is different.

It took a long time for her to reach a place where she did not feel afraid. For years, she felt scared, worried, and even ashamed. She had two young children, and all she could focus on was being there for them.

“I need to be here for them,” she remembers thinking. “I’m their mom, and they need me to be here.”

In the process, Kerrianne says she let herself go a little bit. She was so focused on being strong for her children that it was hard to focus on herself.

But she got through it.

And now, Kerrianne sees her body differently.

“My scars are my souvenirs,” she says. “My body looks like a blueprint, but that just says a lot about my story of where I was, and here I am today.”

Today, Kerrianne is using her voice with strength. She is advocating, sharing, supporting others, and reminding them that there is hope.

 

How has hope shaped your healing?

For Kerrianne, hope has been one of the most important parts of her story.

There were times when she felt like a rain cloud was hanging over her. There were times when fear, uncertainty, and exhaustion felt overwhelming.

But she kept going.

“You have to have hope,” Kerrianne says.

That hope helped her take things one day at a time.

It also helped her reclaim parts of herself that she feared cancer had taken.

Like many people who go through treatment, Kerrianne experienced brain fog. For years, she felt like she had lost part of the sharpness and clarity she once had.

So she made herself a promise.

If she could get through cancer, she wanted to stimulate her brain again. She wanted to prove to herself that it was still there.

Now, Kerrianne is preparing to defend her dissertation and graduate with her doctorate.

“That’s a big thing when I talk about hope,” she says. “This brain is really working.”

For Kerrianne, that accomplishment is about more than a degree. It is proof of what is still possible.

After everything her body and mind have been through, she is still learning, researching, advocating, and growing.

 

How did you find Runway?

Kerrianne found Runway for Recovery through social media.

She is a big fan of Katie Couric, and when she saw Runway’s New York event, she immediately wanted to know how she could get involved.

“How can I get involved with this?” she remembers thinking. “This is just so awesome.”

For Kerrianne, Runway felt like another way to share hope with others.

She loved the idea of joining a community where people with different experiences could come together, support one another, and show others that hope still exists after diagnosis.

“I want to get involved with this because this is another way to be able to show other people that there’s hope out there,” she says.

Now, as Runway for Recovery celebrates its 20th Anniversary in Boston, Kerrianne is excited to be part of something so meaningful.

“This is definitely my community,” she says. “I’m really glad to send the message of hope to so many people out there that may have gone through something similar.”

We are so excited for Kerriane to be a part of our community!