Navigating Diagnosis & Heading Into Treatment

Katie has been incredibly busy since finding out about her diagnosis. She has juggled countless doctors appointments and navigated many research studies and medical advice. She has sought out second, third, and fourth opinions from Kaiser San Francisco, UCSF, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

She has met with countless other survivors and already begun building a support network of women in the Bay Area. She joined a local group called BAYS (Bay Area Young Survivors) which has about 500 members who were diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 45. She is also increasing her political activism by sharing her personal fertility preservation story.

The journey so far has been intensive with countless hours spent on the phone, computer, and shuttling to different imaging and specialist appointments. Katie has been very grateful that her work has been incredibly supportive, allowing her to step back and focus on her health. She has had to advocate for herself on a daily basis to make sure she receives the individualized care she needs. It has been exhausting, but also inspiring to watch.

Now that fertility preservation is complete, Katie is scheduled to start chemo at Kaiser Richmond on Thursday, October 15th. She will be starting two drugs - taxol and carboplatin - which will be administered weekly for the course of 12 weeks. Katie’s spirits are high going into chemo. Please wish her luck!