'Don't let fear win'

Just by chance, Kate Stevens discovered a small lump on her breast.

And just like that, her life changed forever.

"I was like, 'That will go away, it's nothing,'" she said Monday.

Stevens, who calls Coeur d'Alene home, was only 33 when she noticed the small mass while taking a shower after a spin class about a year ago.

"It was the size of a marble at first," she said. "It was really close to the surface, which is why I found it so quickly."

She dismissed the lump, as many women do, because she just had a normal annual exam the previous month. A few weeks after the lump discovery she attended Pamper Me Pink, a breast cancer awareness event at Kootenai Health, where she works as a data and analytics manager. She was given information about risk factors, breast cancer statistics and how to schedule a mammogram.

"At that point, I hadn't said anything about this lump because I was, like, 'It's nothing,'" she said.

With a fresh reminder to get checked at the fore of her mind, Stevens couldn't stop thinking about ... it.

"It was that trigger of, 'This isn't normal,'" she said. "It just brought awareness to the fact that I shouldn't have a lump at 33 years old, that big and growing."

Stevens doesn't have a notable history of breast cancer in her family. Her mom and grandmother never experienced it, but she did have a cousin who passed away after battling the disease twice.

With mom and grandma urging her to get it checked, Stevens mustered the courage and made an appointment.

"The radiologist comes in and says, 'You’re not imagining this. We need to do a biopsy,'" she said. "And, a week later, we had the biopsy."

Results revealed the mass was infiltrating ductal carcinoma, an aggressive breast cancer.

"At first it was a little bit of disbelief," Stevens said. "I read it and was like, 'Oh geez.' Everything stopped. I’d been mentally preparing it to be cancer, but I didn't expect it to be cancer."

It took a few days to sink in. Stevens immediately shared the news with her mom and grandma and spent quality time with them as she processed her new reality.

"There were days that were really, really hard and there were days that were easier," Stevens said.

She realized she could live in fear or take control of her situation. She began researching, connecting with young cancer patient groups and reminding herself: "This is not how my story ends. I've got this."

Stevens underwent a partial lumpectomy in December after the cancer progressed to stage 2 in a short time. Genetic testing also revealed she has a mutation that has a known correlation to high breast cancer risks.

She said she felt like she lost so much of herself in the past year, including her hair to chemotherapy.

She will say goodbye to another piece of her identity when she goes in for a bilateral mastectomy in about a month.

"I know it’s what’s best for me and I have the support of friends and family," she said. "I'm getting ready at this point to prevent any more cancer."

It’s been extremely difficult, she said, but because her cousin lost her battle the second time around, Stevens won't take any chances.

"I always said if I get breast cancer, we’ll cut them off and start over," she said. "I was saying that jokingly at the time. That is what I always expected myself to do. I learned it wasn’t so simple. It doesn’t just work like that."

It's not an easy choice for a woman to decide to have her breasts removed. Stevens said she also most likely will forego having her own children so she doesn't pass on the genetic mutation.

"It was a difficult decision because so much was being taken," she said. "It was cancer's choice, not my choice."

She had no pain, no symptoms, no real reason to get checked until she could not ignore those sinking suspicions. Stevens openly shares her breast cancer journey and is an ardent awareness advocate.

Her advice to other women: "Don't let fear win."

“If you find something, get it checked and if they don't take it seriously, find someone else to check it," Stevens said. "Listen to your gut. Get it checked."