Breast Cancer Patient Stories

Jo Ann Bono

Jo Ann Bono

  • Breast Cancer
  • Liver, Gall Bladder & Bile Duct Cancer
Jo Ann Bono

When COVID-19 hit, I decided it was time to retire from a lifetime of teaching art and do more traveling with my partner Joe. We purchased a tiny trailer and spent a year and a half visiting family and scenic vistas. Our travels were put on hold, however, when I was diagnosed with not one but two cancers.

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Elaine Spangler

Elaine Spangler

  • Breast Cancer
Elaine Spangler

In early February, 2022, I noticed a small lump in my breast. In the past I had breast cysts, and I assumed that was what this new lump would be. Based on my 25-plus years of work in medical, and specifically, cancer research, I made sure I went for my regular mammogram every year.

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Lisa Shustack

Lisa Shustack

  • Breast Cancer
Lisa Shustack

A few years ago, when I was 46, something unusual showed up on my yearly mammogram. So they did an ultrasound and said I should come back every six months for monitoring for the next two years.

For 18 months, there was no change. Then, in April of 2023, I went for my last follow-up scan. When we finished, instead of sending me home, the radiologist came into the room to talk to me. I knew then that something wasn’t right.

She said there had been a change since my last scan. It looked like I had a malignancy in my right breast, and we would need a biopsy to be sure.

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Donna Balut

Donna Balut

  • Breast Cancer
Donna Balut

I was just beginning a new chapter of my life when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 at the age of 73.

Several months prior, my husband had passed away after a 12-year fight with prostate cancer. That left me alone in a large home with 13 rooms. Two of my girlfriends encouraged me to move to an apartment complex for seniors in Pittston, Pennsylvania, about two hours north of Philadelphia.

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Amy Wolf

Amy Wolf

  • Breast Cancer
Amy Wolf

My name is Amy Wolf and I am a breast cancer survivor who was treated at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Before my diagnosis, I worked with preschoolers, acting as an aid for children with autism. After going in for an annual physical, my doctor felt a lump in my left breast, but when she placed my hand on it, I couldn’t feel it.

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