Survivors
Crystal’s Stories
Completed Treatment Model
Read MoreLindsey’s Story
Two-Time Completed Treatment Model
Read MoreKristin’s Story
Completed Treatment Model
Read MoreSara’s Story
Three-Time Completed Treatment Model
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Jo Lynn Stueve & Carrie Purunjian
Jo Lynn Stueve was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2010. She was shocked: “I didn’t believe it. I was in total denial.” She had no family history and had emphasized being healthy and active her entire life.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Shirley Yu
Shirley Yu’s breast cancer came as a massive surprise. She was adamant about receiving mammograms every two years and had previously been in the clear. She herself had witnessed her “niece” (though not technically related) Rachael Hsin pass away from the disease. Regular screenings gave her piece of mind, especially because she had already overcome uterine cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Rhonda Ganucheau
A simple scratch of an itch on Rhonda Ganuchea’s chest saved her life. In that quick moment she felt a bump that would turn out to be stage 2 invasive breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Laurie Ruiz
After a strange feeling under her armpit prompted a doctors appointment, Laurie Ruiz was sent for a mammogram and ultrasound, quickly followed by a needle biopsy. Her self-discovery paid off in that Laurie’s cancer was caught early- stage 1, estrogen positive breast cancer. She remembers her doctor saying, ““if you’re to get breast cancer, this is the best kind.”
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Tanja Cebula
While 2001 was an especially trying year for most Americans, Tanja Cebula had an added layer of hardship. Shortly after 9/11, on her twin boys’ 6th birthday, Tanja found out she had HER 2 positive estrogen receptor negative breast cancer. A mammogram at 40 revealed benign calcifications that were initially thought to be because of breast feeding, but a later ultrasound and biopsy would reveal cancer. She notes that she cancelled the appointment twice and feels grateful she finally showed up to her third reschedule. It would end up saving her life.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Colleen Rivers
For Colleen Rivers, breast cancer has “impacted every aspect” of her life. When she was 15 years old, her mother, age 49 at the time, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The months preceding her diagnosis, Colleen’s mother had severe back pain, lung fluid and was short of breath. Calcifications in her breast, found through a mammogram, were not known to doctors at the time as precursors for breast cancer. She would go on to have 9 months of chemo: “In retrospect, I think we all knew she was going to die, but she did chemo for 9 months and we are talking like 1995 chemo, so she was really sick.” While her siblings were away at college, Colleen took on the primary role of helping her mother through the illness. While she notes that she “was so grateful I got to do that for her,” it meant Colleen witnessed her mother actively dying. Diagnosed in August of 1995, her mother passed the following May.
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