Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Stories of Courage and Impact

Every year, more than 4,000 women and about 10-30 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in British Columbia.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re sharing the personal journeys of three patients and how donor support is driving vital advancements in breast cancer research and care at BC Cancer.

Meghan Kreuger: Reflecting on the Evolution of Breast Cancer Care

In 2019, Meghan was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Her treatments included surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and eventually a radical double mastectomy.

Recently, her husband, Mike, who sits on the BC Cancer Foundation’s Interior Transformation Council, shared the advancements being made in surgical oncology research and breast cancer treatment with Meghan, saying, “With the treatment they have now, I don’t think you would have lost your breasts.”

“It’s incredible that someone diagnosed with breast cancer today, or tomorrow, may not have to go through what I did.”

Read Meghan’s moving story to discover the lessons she’s learned following her breast cancer diagnosis and recovery.

Tina Martel: Embracing a New Path after Breast Cancer

Four cancer diagnoses over the span of 14 years took Tina’s breasts and hair, but they didn’t take her voice. After facing two breast cancer diagnoses in 2011 and 2015, Tina made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy and eventually flat closure (surgery to create a smooth, flat chest).

Today, the 68-year-old, Victoria-based visual artist and model uses social media to challenge the status quo in beauty, gender, age and illness, advocating for women who choose not to wear prosthetics or have breast reconstruction.

“Women like me need to see that we are no less. I am still a woman — with or without breasts, or any other part.”

Read Tina’s courageous story to learn how she continues to navigate her cancer journey and uses her platform to speak up for others facing similar challenges.

Lisa Paulson: Life Lessons after Breast Cancer

Between 2015 and 2018, Lisa and her family faced immense challenges. “We got hit really hard,” she says, reflecting on the three years between her husband Mike’s colon cancer journey and her own breast cancer diagnosis, which led to a mastectomy.

During this time, Lisa also lost her father and two important women in her life — a close friend and her sister-in-law, who both passed away from lung cancer.

Through it all, she believes that how you choose to live after your diagnosis plays a crucial role in your recovery.

“Going through cancer with my husband, Mike, we both learned some new lessons in life. We live life for today and try to do as much as we can together.”

Read Lisa’s inspiring story to discover how she and Mike are healing, and how they believe a new BC Cancer centre in Kamloops will impact other patients in their community.

Donor Impact: BC Cancer’s World-Leading Breast Cancer Research

Donor generosity has enabled BC Cancer’s multi-disciplinary team to advance innovation in breast cancer research and bring life-saving solutions to people facing the disease. These breakthroughs include:

• A brand-new class of breast cancer therapies being tested at BC Cancer
• Effective detection of breast cancer relapse (up to two years before it occurs) using blood biopsies
• Newly discovered breast cancer subtypes which have prompted the exploration of different treatments
• A comprehensive analysis on the relationship between age and breast cancer outcomes
• A pilot program that provides immediate genetic testing for breast cancer patients age 60 and under, led by BC Cancer’s Hereditary Cancer Program

“We will be able to personalize and refine treatments based on what individual patients need.” — Dr. Sam Aparicio, head of Breast and Molecular Oncology at BC Cancer Research

Learn more about the ways BC Cancer is advancing breast cancer research, thanks to donor support.