When you’re exploring the pristine beaches of Portugal, finding a lump on your breast is the last thing you’re anticipating. But for Robyn Goldman of Ajax, Ontario, it’s the nerve-wracking reality that suddenly became her life.

It  wasn’t just the shock of finding a lump that was hard for Robyn, it was the process to get a diagnosis. At just 33 years old, and with no family history of cancer, Robyn had to advocate for herself, finally taking herself to the hospital for answers.

“I could see the lump through my skin, it was like a marble and I couldn’t get a referral. So finally, I walked to the ER during Covid and spoke to the triage nurse. She took my hand,” she remembers, her voice weak, “and she looked into my eyes and said ‘I got you.’” The relief flooded over Robyn and she got bloodwork, followed by an ultrasound, which showed an obvious tumour.

Things didn’t get easy once she got her diagnosis on October 21, 2021; Triple Negative breast cancer at stage 1 grade 3, meaning it is extremely aggressive. She found herself getting lost in the system, on a treadmill going nowhere.

“I didn’t know how to have cancer,” she recalls of the burden she took on, navigating choices in treatment, and options available to her. “It wasn’t until I got my current care team that I was offered genetic testing and fertility. I didn’t know they were options.” She says, worried young women like her don’t know all the options, both in and outside of cancer that you have to deal with “Nobody talks about things like insurance, finances, career, your social life and social media or…dating, and other pressures you might not feel at 50.”

But with research, we can help young women like Robyn. “I’m so thankful for genetic testing, without it, my treatment path would have been very different.” Her path started with fertility then 8 dense doses of chemotherapy that included 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of Taxol followed by a lumpectomy.

“I love my scar. Like losing my hair, it’s a right of passage almost – not for myself, but something I have to go through to get healthy.” While Robyn continues oral chemotherapy she’s an active advocate of breast cancer research. “The researchers are truly changing the trajectory of cancer and giving people back years to their lives. And I want to support that.” She declares.

With the generosity of donations, we can fund life-saving research that advances early detection and precision oncology, so we don’t have to hear stories like Robyn’s any longer. So please, donate if you can.