Writer, Speaker, Advocate, Dreamer
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Writer, Speaker, Advocate, Dreamer 〰️
Hi, I’m Caroline!
My cancer diagnosis was a very sudden rupture in the life I thought I understood. The routines I carefully built, the attention I paid to my health, the steady rhythm of work and friendships… all of it felt instantly unstable and foreign. I found the lump in my breast by accident on an ordinary evening and my instincts immediately told me something wasn’t right. Thankfully, my doctor listened. Four weeks after I found that fateful tumor, I had a treatment plan.
Yes, young women get breast cancer, too! About 4% of U.S. cases occur in women under 40 each year, and we’re more likely to be diagnosed at later stages with more aggressive disease. Yet breast cancer is still framed as something that happens “later.” That narrative is outdated and very dangerous. Cases have been on the rise with certain areas, such as New England, seeing the highest rate increase in a very short amount of time. Where is the access to education, awareness and resources young women desperately need?
Since October 2025, my life has been measured in chemo cycles. Dose-dense AC came first, with brutal side effects like infections and mouth sores and forced menopause. Now I’m on Taxol, preparing for a double mastectomy, radiation, and long-term hormone therapy. I don’t always recognize myself—not in the mirror, not in my body, not in the pace or content of my days.
But something else has taken shape, too: advocacy.
If advocacy means anything, it means refusing to stay quiet because the truth is uncomfortable. It means pushing for earlier attention to symptoms, better education, and a culture that trusts women when they say something is wrong. It means recognizing that young patients are not rare exceptions — we are a growing, urgent reality.
Some days, surviving looks like strength. Other days, it looks like brushing my teeth and calling that a win. Both count. I decided to share my story while I’m still in it, not at the end, because these are conversations we need to have to enact effective change. If this space or my words help even one person seek answers sooner, trust their instincts harder, or feel less alone in the shock of it all, then this story is bigger than just me. It’s the sum of all of ours, together.