Reanna’s story isn’t much different than anyone else who has heard those words that every woman does not want to hear. During a routine self-breast exam she found a lump. Reanna heard the words “You have cancer.” At the age of 33 she was now faced with one of the biggest challenges of her life. In March of 2009 Reanna underwent a double mastectomy. Following her surgery she spent her days in chemo with her family by her side. Dave, Reanna’s husband, says the hard part is watching someone you care about and love go through all the pain and fear and the worry but you just can’t show it. Reanna has made a full recovery and is determined to spread the word that you can get cancer at any age. “I said I am going to do something with this. I am going to become an advocate. I’m going to talk to people whenever I can. I don’t care if it just sounds weird if I say, I have Breast Cancer.” In 2015 it is estimated that among U.S. women there will be:
- 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer (This includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors.)
- 60,290 new cases of in situ breast cancer (This includes ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Of those, about 83 percent will be DCIS. DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer and LCIS is a condition that increases the risk of invasive breast cancer.
- 40,290 breast cancer deaths.
