S5 Ep8: From Volunteer to Patient to Advocate: How a Breast Cancer Survivor’s Life Has Changed Over the Years

<div>Kelly Thomas wasn’t expecting to be on this side of the breast cancer experience. </div> <br> <div>Thomas worked in finance and the company she was employed at regularly partnered with the <a href="https://www.curetoday.com/advocacy-groups/american-cancer-society">American Cancer Society</a>. Throughout the years, she routinely volunteered to collect donations for the American Cancer Society during breast cancer walks. <br>  <br>  <br> Despite not having a family history of breast cancer, she remained diligent about self-exams but never noticed anything. Everything changed one December morning in 2017, when she sat down to watch TV and felt a large lump on her left breast. Thomas, who was 33 at the time, immediately made an appointment to see her gynecologist who then referred her to get a mammogram.  A week later, she was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer.</div> <br> <div>In today’s episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, Thomas breaks down her journey from volunteer to patient to advocate, the isolation she felt <a href="https://www.curetoday.com/view/we-need-to-talk-about-cancer-and-breast-health-before-age-40">navigating breast cancer as a younger woman</a>, starting an Instagram account to promote positive stories of patients living with triple-negative breast cancer and more.   <br>  <br> <em>For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to </em><a href="https://www.curetoday.com/view/enews?tfa_2=CUREARTICLE&amp;utm_source=form&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=footer"><em>subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here</em></a>. </div>