In January of 2024 I was living the healthiest life I thought possible. I was 26 years old, working on my PhD in cancer prevention research at the University of Miami and building strength in the gym as a powerlifter.
I played NCAA basketball in college and always incorporated strength training to improve my game. I noticed I was really strong in the gym, but it wasn’t until after I wrapped up my undergraduate studies and was looking for something that would fill my time and help me stay in shape that I found powerlifting. One day, I was working out at the gym, bench-pressing over 135 pounds for reps, when a member of the powerlifting team from the University of South Florida saw me. They were like, “Girl, you’re lifting more than us—you need to join our team!”
So I did, and I loved it. I think it helped me a lot with discipline, and it gave me a goal outside of academics to work toward. Knowing I could move a lot of weight benefited me mentally as well, and of course it was great for my physical health.
I had just come off a very good powerlifting meet and was preparing for an even bigger event—one reserved for those with the highest scores across the three major lifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift)—when I first went to the doctor to check out a lump I noticed in my breast.
When I was around 11 years old, my pediatrician taught me how to do a breast self-exam, so I would do that every month or so. That’s how I found it. I actually noticed it first in early 2023, but when it started to grow and began to hurt in the fall, I made plans to get it checked out. Initially, I attributed the pain to heavy bench-pressing. I thought it was likely a muscle strain, since it was right around my pec.
I made an appointment at the student health center for a women’s health exam in December for their first available slot in January. Initially, they weren’t even going to do a breast exam—just a Pap smear and things like that. But I made a point of telling the doctor about the lump in my breast as she was leaving the room. It was one of those last-minute questions they talk about patients asking. After examining me she didn’t really see any issues with it; she thought it was just fibrous tissue. And to be honest I was on board with her thinking, as young women having cysts and lumps in their breasts isn’t uncommon.
