Survivor Stories

Patrick was an interesting interview, not only because it was a fun conversation and he’s a great guy, but because he’s a man, and men are far less likely to get breast cancer than women. They are also a lot less likely to talk about it. Patrick talked about it. I listened. I learned that about 1 in 100 people diagnosed with breast cancer are men. I learned that, like women under 40, insurance won’t pay for a man of 49 to have a mammogram, even if there is a lump (at least [...]

A Young Woman’s Journey with Breast Cancer. Erin and her husband were ready to start a family. But they didn’t want to raise Children in Southern California where they were currently living, so, with friends’ and families’ advice and with a bit of research, they decided to move to the Treasure Valley. Within months of making the decision, Erin had lateralled to Meridian PD from Orange County, where she serves the community as a police officer. They made the move north and settled down in a home with a small acreage in [...]

Cindy Jacopian’s recommendations to others with breast cancer are to: “Keep living your normal life thru all the trauma. Stay very active even when you don’t feel like it. Live your best life during treatment.” I initially read these words she wrote and thought, “Yeah, right on. Live your best life.” But, after meeting her, she impressed upon me the importance of these words and I left the interview totally in awe of her ability to do just that (I also left planning to make some changes to my own life). Cindy has [...]

By Sarah Rosin When I sat down in front of my computer to meet Cary Wilson for a Zoom call, I was surprised at how radiant the woman on the screen was. Zoom has a way of making even the healthiest of us look half dead, but this woman was glowing (and it wasn’t just one of those web camera filters). From her rosy pink cheeks to a legit sparkle in her eye, I was almost wondering If I’d been texting the right person to set up this call. Wasn’t this woman [...]