A 30-year-old nurse was diagnosed with rare and aggressive breast cancer after patient inspired her to have her first breast exam

• Holly McCabe was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer when she was 30 years old
• She is scheduled to undergo 16 rounds of chemotherapy and a mastectomy
• Read more: I thought I pulled a muscle but I actually have stage 4 lung cancer

A Colorado nurse was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer after a patient prompted the 30-year-old to perform her first breast self-exam.

Holly McCabe, of Denver, Colorado, was working as a nurse in a hospital oncology unit when she was inspired by a cancer patient who had finished her last round of chemotherapy.

As a nurse at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Denver, she always told her patients about the importance of breast self-examination, but it wasn’t until August 2023 that she performed a self-examination.

“I had been a nurse for seven years when I started working in the cancer ward at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, helping cancer patients through their traumatic experiences,” McCabe said.

“Although I knew the importance of regular breast exams, I had never had my breasts examined until August 27, 2023. While at work, I saw a young woman ‘ring the bell’ to indicate that she had completed chemotherapy. It reminded me to go home and do a self-examination. I found a hard lump in my right breast.

As a healthy young woman, now 31, with no family history of breast cancer, Ms. McCabe did not think she was at high risk.

But after a screening and several follow-up tests, she was diagnosed with stage III triple-negative breast cancer in September 2023.

After feeling the lump in her breast, Ms McCabe made an appointment with her doctor and was sent for an ultrasound, where she said the examiner discovered something “concerning”.

That prompted her medical team to send her for a mammogram — an X-ray of the breast.

After the imaging confirmed the presence of a lump in her breast, doctors performed a biopsy of the lump.

The next day, as she was boarding a plane to attend her brother’s wedding, her doctor called and confirmed that she had breast cancer.

Because she did not want to “interfere” with her brother’s wedding, she kept her diagnosis a secret from family and friends for several weeks.

It wasn’t until more tests were done and one week later that she received a diagnosis of stage III triple-negative breast cancer, a more aggressive and rare type of cancer.

Ms McCabe said: “When I heard my diagnosis, I felt numb. As a nurse, I knew the prognosis was grim. As a patient, I felt terrified. Processing the information, I felt my own mortality, which is difficult to put into words at such a young age.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States after skin cancer. It accounts for about one in three of all new cancer cases in women each year.

The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 310,700 new cases of breast cancer and 42,250 deaths from cancer in 2024.

The average five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 90 percent.

While death rates fell by 43% between 1989 and 2020 due to successful public health awareness campaigns, better screening and new medications, cases are on the rise.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents about 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancers. It differs from other types in that it tends to grow and spread faster, has fewer treatment options and usually has a worse prognosis.

The average five-year survival rate for this type of breast cancer is 77 percent, but depending on the stage of the cancer, this rate can be as high as 12 percent.

Ms McCabe said it took several months for her to be able to “process” her diagnosis, but once she did, she knew she wanted to share her experience and connect with other breast cancer patients.

“It took about three months for me to process my diagnosis and my feelings before sharing them online,” she said. I have always enjoyed creating and editing videos, and with this diagnosis, I realized that I had something truly valuable and important that I could share to help others.

“I wanted to find other triple-negative breast cancer patients and survivors, especially at my age. I found this by sharing online, and by doing so, I felt less alone.

“I receive daily messages from others who are going through similar journeys or the same journeys that my content helps them on, and that brings me so much purpose during this stage of my life.”

The nurse’s TikTok is filled with videos of her sharing the story of her initial diagnosis, treatment regimen, side effects, tests and medical results, as well as the emotional and mental struggle she faces as she “mourns her life before her cancer.” .’

She also revealed that she met with a reproductive endocrinologist because chemotherapy can cause infertility, and she wanted to know more about egg retrieval and freezing, which could allow her to have children after cancer treatment.

Ultimately, Ms. McCabe said in a video, she decided not to go through the egg retrieval and freezing process. She said doctors told her there was still a small chance she would have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

In September, Ms McCabe began a treatment regimen that included 16 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a second 12-week course.

She will eventually need a double mastectomy with reconstruction, radiation, and nearly a year of immunotherapy.

If residual cancer remains at the end of her treatment, she is willing to participate in clinical trials.

Despite her insurance coverage, Ms. McCabe says she faces mounting medical bills, and her medical team expects she will need to take a year off work.

To ease the financial burden, she set up a GoFundMe account to help cover expenses.

The most difficult aspect for Ms. McCabe is realizing the toll that cancer takes.

She said: Treating this disease made me feel like a stranger in my body.

“Before my diagnosis, I felt like I was in the healthiest of my life, so the change has been quite physical. Emotionally, treatment puts you through a lot of ground.

“All medications have side effects, and they change your hormones and mood. On top of that, I’m dealing with grief about my life before cancer.”

“Life will simply not be the same for me after receiving this news and undergoing this treatment.”

But amid her fears, the nurse found solace and strength in the support of her TikTok followers.

She says their love, encouragement and kind words helped her get through the difficult days and reminded her of the importance of human connection.

“Seeing others offering love, support and kind words helps me get through the tough days,” Ms McCabe said. “I am a very ambitious and independent woman and always have been, but I have learned that there is beauty in community and that all human beings need others in this life.”

Through her TikTok, she also aims to raise awareness about the importance of regular breast self-examination and early detection.

Her message to others facing a similar diagnosis is to “embrace the beauty that can be found even in the darkest times.”

“Every day given is a precious gift; seized.

Ms McCabe added: “Discover your true passions and desires, then pursue them with unwavering determination. The shortness and fragility of life should inspire you to live honestly and confidently, because they can be taken from you in the blink of an eye. You are never truly alone.

“There are others fighting similar battles around you, waiting to connect and share in your journey. The beauty of community lies in our shared humanity, where our similarities far outweigh our differences.

In the GoFundMe fundraiser, Ms McCabe offered advice: “Reminder – check your breasts!”