At just 30 years old, Laura Montgomery heard the words no one ever wants to hear: “You have breast cancer.”

What began as a routine shower turned into a life-altering discovery—she found a lump that didn’t feel right. Laura trusted her instincts and saw a doctor, but, worried that she wouldn’t be taken seriously because of her age, she exaggerated her symptoms just to be heard. The doctor initially believed it was likely nothing but sent her for an ultrasound. That scan changed everything. It revealed what was likely breast cancer—a 1.5 cm tumor.

Still, the urgency didn’t seem to match Laura’s instinct. When her local cancer centre told her she might wait a month for a biopsy, she took control and sought out a different hospital. There, the diagnosis was confirmed: HER2-positive breast cancer. But worse still, it had already spread to her liver, where her diagnosis was confirmed: stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

“Once you’re stage 4, a lot of things change,” Laura says. “The goal is no longer to cure, but to extend and improve quality of life.”

Her kids were just two and five years old when she was told she might only have one to three years left. Life changed overnight. For Laura and her husband, it meant acting on dreams they’d always put off. They sold their home and moved to the countryside. Now, with chickens, a dog, cats, and wide-open space, they embrace the simple joys of life—knowing how precious each day is.

From the start, Laura’s circle vowed she would never go through it alone. There’s always someone by her side—at scans, appointments, or even on difficult days. She emphasizes how isolating metastatic breast cancer can be, and how little it’s actually talked about compared to early-stage breast cancer. “Everyone knows breast cancer,” she says, “but metastatic breast cancer is the one you die from. And no one talks about that.”

Her family’s love and support has been the backbone of her journey, along with one more critical factor—research.

When Laura was diagnosed, she had access to treatments that didn’t even exist a few decades ago. Targeted therapies like Herceptin and PERJETA—developed through years of breast cancer research—were once a clinical trial, not that long ago. She’s been on the same maintenance therapy since her initial chemo, and because of that treatment, she has been no evidence of disease for more than five and a half years.

“I didn’t know what the future would hold,” Laura says. “But thanks to groundbreaking research, I’ve had time I never thought I would have. I’m living proof of the power of research—and the possibility it creates.”

Laura’s journey is a powerful reminder of why research is vital. The treatments keeping her alive today were once clinical trials—now, they’re life-saving realities. Continued research, especially into metastatic breast cancer, gives people like Laura more time and better quality of life. At Breast Cancer Canada, funding research is at the heart of our mission—because research changes outcomes, and stories like Laura’s prove it.