Columbus, OH,
03
May
2016
|
20:43 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Battling Breast Cancer Young

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OhioHealth Newsroom Young Cancer Patients

Breast cancer does not discriminate. It doesn't just happen to women 40 and over. In fact, women much younger than that can and do receive breast cancer diagnoses. And when that happens, there are some challenges that these women face, such as body image and fertility issues. OhioHealth Grant Medical Center nurses Tara Ernske and Brittany Beitel know that all too well. They were diagnosed with breast cancer at ages 30 and 26, respectively. Because of previous experiences and a family history of cysts, neither woman was overly worried when they felt lumps – both were shocked when they were diagnosed. Recently, both sat down to talk about their experiences as young breast cancer survivors, from writing themselves notes to off-set memory loss triggered by chemo, to deciding whether or not to freeze their eggs in case menopause set in early.

Breast surgeon Deepa Halaharvi, DO, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, shares what symptoms younger women, who may not be getting screening mammograms yet, need to look out for.

As survivors, Brittany, Tara and Dr. Halaharvi would like to help spread the word that breast cancer can happen to anyone. Moreover, Brittany and Tara are two of the five honorary chairs of the 2016 Komen Columbus Race for the Cure. Register for the Race.