Sue Ware learned that she had fallen victim to the dreadful disease of inflammatory breast cancer just five days after losing her mother to the same illness. Planning her mother’s funeral, she never imagined she would face such a reality. Sue, 59 years old, received the diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer due to redness noticed on her right breast following her mother Betty’s passing. At first noticing this change, she had combined this situation with the emotional intensity and worries she was experiencing due to her mother’s illness. But the thought that the cancer could be connected to this change on her breast never crossed her mind.

Sue said, “I wasn’t worried,” adding, “I thought I had hit something while moving my mother at home. I showed it to my wife Linda, and she agreed that it was different. However, since I had only a few weeks left with my mother, I focused on that time and set aside my health concerns.” However, as the changes in her breast worsened and the pain intensified, Sue sought her family doctor’s help. Although the doctor likened this to mastitis, Sue’s age being usually associated with nursing women made this possibility unlikely. Nevertheless, she was prescribed antibiotics and told to have a breast scan right away.

“I had a mammogram two months ago and the result was clean, so I felt safe,” Sue said. However, shortly after her mother’s passing, a significant change was noticed in Sue’s breast. Shockingly, it turned out that she had also fallen prey to breast cancer. In September 2023, Sue was diagnosed with the rare aggressive inflammatory breast cancer. These types of breast cancers account for only five percent of all breast cancers and tend to spread faster. The diagnosis was a big shock for Sue. “I was diagnosed too late and the cancer had reached stage 3. I felt even more unreal due to my mother’s cancer,” she said.

At the beginning of her illness, Sue’s mother had kept the mass under wraps. After the cancer spread to her body, her mother had a hysterectomy. Recalling her mother’s difficult process, Sue was determined to fight the same disease. The chemotherapy process was quite challenging. “I was in a very intense treatment process. My hair fell out after one session, but I was prepared for it,” she said. “I have seen hair loss throughout my career, and I know they grow back. If they could do it, I could do it too.”

The treatment was successful, and tests showed that the mass in Sue’s breast had shrunk from 26 mm to 10 mm. In January 2024, it was determined that the cancer had spread to one of her eight lymph nodes. However, in April 2024, Sue faced the worst news: Her cancer had become untreatable. “They said it was untreatable, and after all this process, I felt like everything was falling apart,” she said. “I would miss a lot of things, but most of all, I would not be able to see my son grow up and my grandchildren grow up.”

After learning this dreadful truth, Sue mourned with her family by having an emotional weekend getaway. However, she gradually gained the determination to continue her life. “I am still alive, so I have to keep on living,” she said. Sue’s experience underlines the importance of early diagnosis. “I realized my cancer too late, but knowing what to look for and early diagnosis can save your life. When something starts to go wrong, do not wait,” she said. Sue aims to raise awareness of breast cancer among people and urges women to be attentive to the first symptoms of the disease.