I Can-cer vive this! 19-year-old shares story of breast cancer diagnoses

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Jania Conelly of Irmo is a Spring Hill graduate.

Conelly loves to cook, hang out with her dog Lady Bird, and has an interest in hair and makeup.

However, she never imagined her first year of college would take such a turn. At just 19 years old, Conelly was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It was the summer after my first semester, I knew that my life was going to change so it was a lot. I broke down,” said Conelly.

Conelly said she knew about her family’s health history early on. Her grandfather had pancreatic cancer, which doctors suggested was a marker for having a rare genetic mutation called, BRCA One.

“His daughters, my aunts, both had breast cancer at very early ages, like 24 and 26. So that was another indicator.”

It’s because of this that she knew about the importance of self-exams.

“I didn’t feel any symptoms or anything. I had been in a routine of just checking myself monthly, and this time when I checked, I felt a lump and I was like Oh! No, I don’t know what to do.”

So she scheduled an appointment with her OBGYN.

“I made sure to tell her my family history. She did a physical exam and decided to move forward with an ultrasound and mammogram,” said Conelly.

Through a genetic test, the BRCA gene was confirmed.

The ultrasound and mammogram came out inconclusive, so doctors suggested a biopsy for the lump.

“When she told me I had to do that, I cried. It was real for me I was like ugh, this is going to be a process. But my surgeon decided to remove it because she thought it would keep getting bigger. And once she removed it she looked at it again and it came back that it was actually cancer, so it was like, I was on a roller coaster ride you don’t have it then you do!”

After her lumpectomy, Conelly had several scans done including an MRI and a bone scan.

“I had to have surgery to put in a port for treatment, and when I healed after that, it was straight into chemo.”

And doctors say she did the right thing by keeping up with her family’s status.

Dr. Katherine Ostapoff of Lexington Oncology performed Conelly’s surgery and said self-exams and early detection both save lives and can prevent aggressive treatment.

“For women with that specific mutation, we actually start screening them as young as 25. Although it’s uncommon, so we only see about 4 percent of all women with breast cancer under the age of 40, its important to listen to your body. So if you feel a lump or a bump that’s growing and it’s not changing or getting smaller or bigger with your periods, that’s something you should bring to the attention of your doctors.”

Dr. Ostapoff said oftentimes, even between mammograms, women will find other lesions.

“And although the most common type of breast cancer is estrogen and progesterone positive—or hormone-positive breast cancer, the ones that we most frequently find that are a little bit more aggressive are the ones that we pick up on self-exams. So classically those women will have a totally normal mammogram, and then within 6 to nine months they’ll feel a mass in their breasts, and then we’ll do an evaluation and that’s how we find more of the aggressive flavors of breast cancer,” said Ostapoff.

But through it all, one thing remained clear, Conelly’s faith and support never wavered.

She is now cancer-free-- currently enrolled at Midlands Tech with big plans for the future. She wants to become an RN, with a focus in oncology.

She hopes sharing her story will encourage other women to know their status.

“Ask your parents about your family history with not just breast cancer, but all cancer. And then talk to your doctor so you all can come up with a plan. Because there are preventative things you can do and they can also keep a close watch so if something does happen you can catch it early.”

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