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Lori's Story

Name: Lori
State: Missouri
Date of Diagnosis: May, 2009
Age at Diagnosis: 44
Stage of Diagnosis: Stage IV
Time from initial Stage 0 diagnosis to Stage 4 diagnosis: One month
How was cancer detected?: After diagnosis of Stage 0 cancer, sentinel node biopsy revealed numerous cancer-infected lymph nodes - later scans confirmed cancer had spread to bones.

My older sister was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) - a non invasive breast cancer - seven years ago. Her diagnosis is the reason I started having annual mammograms at 37. I was called back for a diagnostic mammogram in 2007 and 2008 and was given a clean bill of health both times. In 2009, after a digital mammogram detected a tumor, the biopsy showed DCIS - a non invasive breast cancer - Stage 0. I had a lumpectomy - the sentinel node biopsy uncovered positive cancerous lymph nodes. After a PET, CAT, bone scan and biopsy, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer as cancer had spread to my bones. My oncologist explained that the mammogram screenings had failed in my case due to my dense breasts. It turns out that early detection, through mammography, was not an option for me because of my breast density. I am frustrated with myself and the medical community for not pursuing alternative scanning methods in 2007 and 2008 when I had the questionable mammograms. Women need to be informed about their own breast density for the early detection of breast cancer. Education is the best way to be your own advocate!

Our angel, Lori, passed in October, 2012. Our mission, to ensure that ALL women are informed of the risks and screening challenges of dense breast tissue, exists to prevent another unnecessary tragedy of a delayed advanced diagnosis because of dense breast tissue. Her legacy and memory will be with us until we join her on the other side.

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AYD In The News

What is Dense Breast Tissue?

How Do I Know if I Have Dense Breast Tissue?

What Do I Do if I Have Dense Breast Tissue?

Are You Dense? Fact #1:
Breast density is one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography screening to detect cancer.
Are You Dense? Fact #2:
Two-thirds of pre-menopausal women and 40% of post-menopausal women have dense breast tissue.
Are You Dense? Fact #3:
Adding more sensitive tests to mammography significantly increase detection of invasive cancers that are small and node negative.
Are You Dense? Fact #4:
American College of Radiology describes women with "Dense Breast Tissue" as having a higher than average risk of Breast Cancer.
Are You Dense? Fact #5:
While a mammogram detects 98% of cancers in women with fatty breasts, it finds only 48% in women with dense breasts.
Are You Dense? Fact #6:
A woman at average risk and a woman at high risk have an EQUAL chance of having their cancer masked by mammogram.
Are You Dense? Fact #7:
Women with dense breasts who had breast cancer have a four times higher risk of recurrence than women with less-dense breasts.
Are You Dense? Fact #8:
A substantial proportion of Breast Cancer can be attributed to high breast density alone.
Are You Dense? Fact #9:
Cancer turns up five times more often in women with extremely dense breasts than those with the most fatty tissue.
Are You Dense? Fact #10
There are too many women who are unaware of their breast density, believe their “Happy Gram” when it reports no significant findings and are at risk of receiving a later stage cancer diagnosis.