Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer at 29: A Patient’s Perspective

Last year, Amanda Davis was living what she describes as a an “absolutely perfect life,” as the mother of a young son and working as a pediatric emergency room nurse at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Then, in October 2024 at the age of 29, Davis received a diagnosis of estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

“When I was diagnosed, I [thought], ‘My life is perfect. How is this happening? How could this have come about?’” Davis told CURE. “So that was just a crazy, crazy whirlwind of emotion and anxiety.”

Davis, who underwent a double mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery, now takes anastrozole pills daily and receives monthly injections of Zoladex (goserelin), a treatment regimen she said her care team will have her on for at least five years.

She sat down with CURE for an interview during a visit to the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, where she is a patient.

CURE: What was life like for you before your cancer diagnosis?

Before my cancer diagnosis, my life was absolutely perfect, which may sound cheesy. I had a great life growing up. I have amazing parents and an amazing brother. I met my husband my freshman year of college. We both went to Ramapo College and graduated together, and I started working here at the hospital in the pediatric ER right after I graduated. A couple of years later, we bought our first home. We got engaged, got married, traveled, and then we had our son. I will say that when I was diagnosed, I did feel, "My life is perfect. How is this happening? How could this have come about?" It was a crazy, crazy whirlwind of emotion and anxiety.

Can you walk us through how you first discovered something was wrong and what the process was like leading up to your breast cancer diagnosis?

I was going for my regular, annual GYN appointment. At my appointment, the nurse practitioner was doing my regular breast exam as she always does, and she found a small lump on my right side. Even when that happened, I wasn't really too concerned about it. I've had cysts in the past, so when she told me, “Oh, you have a little lump on your right side,” I was like, “Oh, okay, it'll just be another cyst that I'll just get taken care of like I always do, and then we'll go on from there.” But I did go for additional imaging. When I was there, they did a biopsy and put in a clip marker. It was different from what I was expecting, so I knew something was different this time around.

I was actually nervous because it was different from what I was expecting. One day, I was just at work, and I got an email saying, “You have a new test result in your MyChart.” So, I was like, “Okay, you know what? I'm just going to read this to clear my mind and give me peace of mind so I can stop worrying about it.” And when I did read the result, it said, ‘invasive ductal carcinoma,’ and I was just so confused.

I knew those were scary words, and I quickly called my doctor's office. I stepped away from work for a minute, and I kind of told my boss, “Hey, I just got this email. I don't know what's happening right now, but I need to make some phone calls. I need to find out what's happening.”

The nurse practitioner who did my original exam called me back shortly after and told me, "I'm so sorry this has happened to you, but yes, you do have breast cancer." I was shocked, couldn't believe it, and I left work and went straight home. I was nervous going home to tell my husband because I know my husband is a big researcher, so I was nervous to tell him. My son was actually at my parents' house at the time, so I just called my mom and said, “Hey, I know you're only supposed to babysit until 9 p.m., but is there any way he can sleep over?” My parents kept my son that night, and I told my husband. We hugged it out, cried a little bit, and then I went to my parents' house, and I told my family. my parents and my brother. and we were just waiting for the next steps.

I got a phone call from the hospital the very next morning, first thing in the morning, saying, “This is your diagnosis, this is what we're going to do.”

After receiving your diagnosis, what steps did you take next in terms of testing, imaging, and meeting with your care team?

I made appointments. I went for more imaging. I went for a mammogram because I had never had a mammogram before; due to my age, it wasn't something that I was routinely getting done. When they did my original biopsy, they said, “Oh, you're only 29, so we don't need to do a mammogram yet.” But I went back for a mammogram and went back for images of the other side. I met with a breast surgeon, and the breast surgeon told me the route of treatment we were going to take and the options that I had. I also met with a plastic surgeon to pursue those options as well.

I had genetic testing done, which was good and bad. I don't have any genetic predisposition. I don't have any genetic mutations. This is just something that happened to me, which is kind of crummy luck, but also amazing for the rest of my family because no one else in my family is at risk for what I had gone through.

Can you share what went into your decision to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction at 29, and how your care team supported you through that choice?

I chose to have a double mastectomy, and I also had reconstructive surgery. I chose a more radical path because I am so young and have a lot of life to live, and I didn't want to always have this in the back of my mind. I didn't want anything left to chance, you know, like, "Oh, maybe it might come back on the other side. Maybe it might come back on the same side." I didn't want to have any of that hanging over me for the rest of my life.

I had reconstructive surgery afterward, and I had implants put in, also because I was 29 and I wanted to feel like a regular 29-year-old. I wanted to just continue life normally. I didn't want to look any different than anyone else. I didn't want to have crazy scars or something to constantly remind me, even though it's not something I will ever forget. I will live the rest of my life with this history, but I just wanted to take every measure I could to give me the greatest chance that this will not reoccur again.

What was it like collaborating with your care team and making sure everyone was on the same page that this was the best route to take?

Everyone was very supportive. Being that I am so young, they agreed that this was a good route to take. Everyone was very much, “Whatever you feel is best for you,” and I was always supported, no matter what my decision was, which was really amazing.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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