Twenty Years in the Waiting Room
I’m approaching the one-year mark of my triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis, but my journey actually began 20 years ago. When my sister was diagnosed at age 28, we were caught off guard. Soon after, at age 22, I learned I was positive for the BRCA gene mutation. Sitting in waiting rooms with women twice my age became my “new normal” during cancer screenings every six months for the next two decades.
After years of clear screenings and biopsies, I welcomed my son, Jason, in early 2024. I postponed my regular screenings during pregnancy and his first year. However, the night before my first MRI back, I had a gut feeling: it was my time. My intuition was right. Last March, at 41, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
Because of the BRCA mutation and the aggressive nature of triple-negative cancer, I underwent a double mastectomy and the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes. Over the next nine months after diagnosis, I endured four surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy. It wasn’t the path I would have chosen, but I chose to be a fighter.
Sharsheret was one of my lifelines throughout. From online support groups and financial aid for cold-capping to gift boxes that brightened my children’s days, I can’t imagine this year without them. Today, I can finally say this chapter is closed. I rang the bell; I am cancer-free!
Shira and her husband Dani live in Gaithersburg, Maryland with their son Jason (2), and her step-children Eitan (11) and Julie (9). Shira is a second grade teacher and loves spending her summers off at sleep-away camp!