27-year-old woman who was ‘too young for cancer’ survived a stage three tumor

Emily Piercell was just 27 when she discovered a lump in her breast. Doctors said she was too young to get cancer – until she convinced them to do a biopsy that revealed a stage three tumor

Doctors refused to do a biopsy on a lump that Emily Piercell found in her breast when she was just 27. 

But when the mass tripled in size, she demanded a biopsy which revealed stage three cancer, inspiring her to trail blaze a program to help young women advocate for themselves – and to teach doctors to listen. 

Programs coordinator at Rethink Breast Cancer, Emily Piercell – now 31 – from Ontario, Canada, was an aspiring lawyer before cancer turned her world upside down. 

Breast cancer is relatively rare in young people, but it happens – to 70,000 men and women between 15 and 39 each year in the US. 

Like Emily, 80 percent of young breast cancer patients find their own tumors, but are often dismissed by doctors who do only preliminary tests of their masses but, now, Emily has dedicated her professional life to making sure doctors listen to patients. 

It was May 2015 when Emily noticed a lump in her breast and went to her doctor to get checked out.

Emily’s doctor wasn’t concerned by the lump because she had no family history of breast cancer and she was only 27 at the time. 

Emily was sent for an ultrasound and doctors concluded that the lump was dense tissue and nothing of concern, so they didn’t do a biopsy.

Over the next three months, Emily’s lump tripled in size and grew to 10 centimeters in both length and width. 

Because her cancer was fairly advanced by the time it was diagnosed, Emily had to have chemo, surgery and radiation therapies that 'ruined her ski,' she said

Because her cancer was fairly advanced by the time it was diagnosed, Emily had to have chemo, surgery and radiation therapies that ‘ruined her ski,’ she said

Emily returned to her doctor who sent her for another ultrasound which, again, showed the lump as just dense tissue. 

But this time, Emily pushed for a biopsy to be done, despite the radiologist’s reluctance.

The biopsy revealed that Emily’s doctors were wrong. She had triple positive stage three breast cancer.  

Emily says she regularly checked her breasts for lumps or abnormalities, the best at-home screening women can do for breast cancer. 

At first, even she thought there might be a simpler explanation for what she felt.  

‘I had recently changed birth control and within one cycle my hands and feet were swollen, and I noticed a large lump in my right breast,’ Emily says. 

‘I went to my family doctor who wasn’t concerned but she sent me for a biopsy and ultrasound anyway. The ultrasound looked like the lump was normal dense tissue, so the radiologist didn’t do a biopsy, but he sent me for a mammogram which came back negative.’

Emily and her husband, Jose (right), didn't expect to have to face a life-threatening disease together so early in their lives together

During treatment, Emily lost her hair, so she and Jose (left) had matching buzz cuts for a while

Emily and her husband, Jose (pictured), didn’t expect to have to face a life-threatening disease together so early in their lives together. During treatment, Emily lost her hair, so she and Jose (left) had matching buzz cuts for a while

In fairness to her doctors, it isn’t just that phyisicians are in the habit of turning away young women who might have breast cancer – there currently are no reliable screening tools for breast cancer in people under 40. 

Young women tend to have denser breast tissue than older women. Dense breast tissue is both a risk factor for breast cancer and an impediment to testing. 

While a small lump or nodule might be nothing to be concerned about, a growing mass certainly is.  

‘Over the next three months, my lump tripled in size and took up my entire breast. It was 10 by 10 centimeters by this point,’ Emily says.

Again, Emily’s mass just looked like dense tissue on the ultrasound.  

‘Fortunately, this time, I advocated for myself and insisted on a biopsy because I knew it wasn’t normal. The biopsy came back showing I had breast cancer.’

Hers was particularly unusual not only because Emily was so young, but because she didn’t seem to have non-clinical warning signs that she could develop breast cancer early, like a family history. 

Emily got to ring the remission bell over two years ago. She remains on hormone therapy though her active treatment is over

She wants desperately to have a child of her own, according to Emily's writing Instagram posts, but her doctors have warned she could relapse (pictured with a friend's child)

Emily got to ring the remission bell over two years ago (left). She remains on hormone therapy though her active treatment is over and she wants desperately to have a child of her own, according to Emily’s writing Instagram posts, but her doctors have warned she could relapse (pictured right with a friend’s child)

But it’s actually a bit of a myth that family history is predictive of breast cancer. 

Though it raises risks by about 25 percent, between 75 and 85 percent of women that get breast cancer have no close relatives with the disease and fewer have associated genetic mutations.  

Family history or none, Emily knew that what was happening to her breast was not right.  

‘The second time I went for an ultrasound, the radiologist nearly didn’t even come into the room. I kept saying to the technician that my lump wasn’t normal, so he went to speak to the radiologist and told him he had to look for himself because one breast felt hard.’

Emily was right. The mass was cancerous, and had reached the third stage – progression that was not helped by the delay in her treatment. 

‘By the time I eventually received my breast cancer diagnosis, we knew the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes,’ said Emily. 

After she went into remission, Emily decided to stay involved in cancer advocacy instead of becoming a lawyer. She and her friends stay active in breast cancer nonprofit work, including participating in benefit runs

After she went into remission, Emily decided to stay involved in cancer advocacy instead of becoming a lawyer. She and her friends stay active in breast cancer nonprofit work, including participating in benefit runs 

At last she started chemotherapy and was booked for surgery. 

‘Treatment was really difficult. I was nauseous, weak, moody, had bone pain and mouth sores,’ Emily said. 

‘The first week after chemotherapy I couldn’t take care of myself. The second week I felt better and by the third week I was back to normal, just a weaker version.’

But the double mastectomy brought Emily more existential pain. 

‘At the time of my mastectomy, after chemotherapy, there was still cancer in three lymph nodes,’ Emily said. 

‘I know, without a doubt, I would have had a different diagnosis if I didn’t insist on the biopsy. Within three months the tumor grew from nothing to my whole breast.’ 

But because of the wait, she would have to have all the tissue removed – and have the same done in the other breast, to be safe.  

‘Losing my breasts felt like I lost a limb and a part of myself. I was so scared to be done with chemotherapy and move onto surgery,’ Emily said. 

‘Then, radiation was okay, but it killed my skin.’

It was a grueling battle, but it worked. Emily went into remission.  

Since her shock diagnosis in 2015, the now 31-year-old has written about life after cancer and continues to work with a breast cancer nonprofit

Among Emily's missions is to remind everyone that cancer changes decades of young person's life to come

Since her shock diagnosis in 2015, the now 31-year-old has written about life after cancer and continues to work with a breast cancer nonprofit (left). Among Emily’s missions is to remind everyone that cancer changes decades of young person’s life to come (right) 

In June 2017 Emily was called to the bar and became a lawyer, but after going on a retreat with Rethink Breast Cancer, Emily sent them her CV for opportunities in their legal department.

The group didn’t have any legal positions available at the time, but they said they could use her help elsewhere in the meantime. 

Once she was in the company, Emily learned loved supporting other young women fighting breast cancer and stopped looking for legal positions.    

‘Legal work didn’t make me feel good in the way that what I’m doing now does. I think I’m where I’m supposed to be,’ Emily said.

‘Some days I’m still hard on myself about not being a lawyer because I worked hard to be one, but I have different priorities now.

‘My career has changed, and I have dedicated my life to helping other young women who are dealing with cancer.

‘Cancer is awful, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone but I’m doing really well now. I’m more confident in myself and celebrate all my little victories. Life really does get better with time and I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I thought I was.’

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