I’m a Survivor! 28-year old Loren Battaglia-Beley tackled breast cancer with early detection
Growing up, when Loren Battaglia-Beley was faced with being grounded, her defense to her parents would be, “It could be worse”. On April 2, 2012, at age 28, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at its earliest stage, those were the words that popped into her mind.
With a strong family history of breast cancer, Loren was very fortunate to have determined family members who wanted to know why the women on her mother’s side were all being diagnosed at such a young age. In 2003, she was diagnosed with BRCA (Breast Cancer) II gene mutation. Some young ladies would have taken this diagnosis and ignore it out of fear, but she chose to take her health into her own hands. She educated herself as much as possible by reading, researching and talking with other women who had fought against this deadly disease. In June 2011, she and her family attended a hereditary breast and ovarian cancer conference hosted by FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered).
Rob McGuire and Loren Battaglia-Beley at Pink Tie Gala
Loren was very aware of what the BRCA II gene was and understood that she should get scanned every six months. However, being in her mid-twenties, she did not feel the urgency just yet. Less than a year after the conference that changed. She moved to DC, where many of the best breast doctors in the country are located, got a mammogram, and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Finding out that she had caught cancer in the earliest stage, caused her to revert back to her childhood defense to her parents. She couldn’t help but say, “Well, it could be worse!”
Deciding on a treatment plan was the hardest thing that Loren has ever had to do. From everything that she had learned about breast cancer, and the BRCA gene, she knew that her only option was to have a mastectomy. She did not allow this to break her spirit. Her goal throughout was to not let it bring her down.
Loren has been a survivor four almost four months! The experience motivated her to be an advocate for other young women, and spread the knowledge about how important early detection is. Loren says, “Early detection saved my life, and for that I will be forever grateful!”
