My name is Valerie Smart. I’m a wife and mother with three beautiful children, two boys and a girl. And I am an 18 year breast cancer survivor. This is my story. I was diagnosed with a stage II ductal carcinoma (a type of breast cancer) in August of 2000. I had eight cycles of chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation followed by Tamoxifin. I lost…
I like to prepare for the worst but hope for best. When I started chemotherapy for my breast cancer, I knew what it meant for my hair and body. I was aware of the side effects and what each cycle could bring. To physically get my body ready for chemo I did a few things that might sound trite or shallow, but I knew they would help me feel somewhat…
An estimated 252,710 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.1 Early detection of breast cancer is critical for successful treatment of this disease - women who are diagnosed with early stage/localized breast cancer have a 5-year survival rate of 98.9% 1 We hope that this Breast Cancer Awareness Month will inspire more people to discuss…
My breast cancer journey started on March 31st, 2017. I sat in the doctor’s office for my follow-up appointment after my lumpectomy. Before the lumpectomy, I was told I had less than a 1% chance of the tumor being cancerous by three different doctors. I sat there and told my doctor about my workout regime and that the incision was a little…
The Mauli Ola Foundation has announced the winning team of their 3rd annual Battle for the Breasts (B4TB) online surf contest, as of the end of October, which was also Breast Cancer Awareness month. As a proud sponsor of the competition, Ambry would like to congratulate the winning team of professional surfer, Dimity Stoyle of Maroochydore, Queensland,…
Genetic testing has helped research for breast cancer progress immeasurably, and thanks to some high profile cases, more women are opting for genetic testing when they go in for mammograms and other checkups. As a result, more companies are offering a variety of genetic tests geared towards detecting mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2…
In 2016, it is estimated that 246,660 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and 2,600 cases in men and out of those cases, only about 5-10% will be hereditary. The most common cause for hereditary breast cancer cases are due to mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Thanks to recent research at Ambry, it is now…
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Ambry is proud to support many non-profit foundations and organizations, including the Mauli Ola Foundation’s 3rd annual Battle for the Breasts (B4TB). The B4TB is an online surf contest featuring 16 professional women surfers who are each paired with cancer clinics and/or foundations. Each surfer…