Living with and Beyond Early-Onset Breast Cancer

At just 34 years old, Karla felt a lump that turned out to be breast cancer, first diagnosed as stage 2 and then as stage 3. Like many young women with breast cancer, Karla’s genetic testing results were negative, leaving her without an explanation for why she was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer at such a young age. Karla is an ambassador for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and for the Stanford Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program, which aims to reduce breast cancer disparities among African American women. Story Reference Points: Writing her book and dealing with recurrence @ 2:35 Karla’s first referral to genetic counseling @ 8:40 Breast cancer in African American women @ 15:35 Karla’s long, slow path to initial diagnosis @ 22:00 Karla’s family history of cancer @ 28:15 Karla’s second referral to genetic counseling and the leaps in genetic testing @ 30:32 Karla’s perspective on breast cancer awareness and survivorship lingo @ 37:18 Breast cancer as more than one disease - with a wide range of prognoses @ 44:42 Karla’s care at CTCA and work as an ambassador for CTCA and the SCI Community Partnership Program @ 51:32 How the Affordable Care Act affected Karla personally and how insurance concerns continue to impact her life now @ 56:46 More on Karla’s book - which you can buy online! @ 1:02:30 Links and Resources Karla’s website Karla’s blog on Living! Buy a signed copy of Karla’s book! Karla on Twitter: @karlaliving Karla on Facebook Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) on Twitter: @CancerCenter Stanford Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes. Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online! Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media. Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. Choose from our growing Network of Genetic Counselors. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.