Stephanie Berman received not one, but two life-changing diagnoses at 32; here’s how she went on to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation
In September 2020, Stephanie Berman, an avid runner with no immediate family history of breast cancer, noticed blood coming out of her nipple. At first, she attributed the phenomenon to running-associated chafing. Doctors gave her basic antibiotics for what they then thought might be a minor infection or dermatitis.
“Okay, no big deal. It was kind of painful, so I thought I’d hold off on running a little bit and let it heal,” she says. “It never really healed.”
Despite the initial dismissal from her doctors, Stephanie knew it was more than a mild chafe, so she continued to trust her instincts and to follow-up. After multiple cancelled doctor appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie finally saw her primary care physician, four months after the initial bleeding began. She received yet another round of antibiotics—stronger ones this time.
Still, the bleeding did not heal, and Stephanie knew something was amiss. She went to all of her routine doctors, but no one was particularly concerned. However, Stephanie’s symptoms progressed. Frustrated, she knew she needed to seek care elsewhere.
After explaining the situation to her primary care doctor—that she was in constant pain and experiencing discharge from her nipples—her doctor advised her to get a mammogram as soon as possible. Stephanie made an appointment at her local women’s center in Chicago and scheduled an appointment for 9 a.m. the next day.
During the screening, Stephanie was called back for imaging several times. With a family history of dense breasts, this wasn’t a surprise. By the fourth mammogram, she decided to call her mom and ask if this was normal.
Her mom responded: “Four is a lot.”
The next time doctors called her back, there were four physicians in the room. She knew something was wrong. Her doctors explained that they noticed calcifications indicative of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) and they needed to biopsy them. Confused, she replied, “That’s not the nipple.”
Stephanie’s doctors explained that they found another area of concern and had not yet examined the nipple. Thankfully, she was able to get it biopsied later that day.
Two days later, while working with a physical therapy client, Stephanie’s doctors called to inform her that the biopsy came back positive for DCIS. As if this news wasn’t enough, she had her follow up appointment later that day, where Stephanie’s doctor informed her that they still needed to biopsy her nipple.
She asked her doctor if her bleeding nipple was from DCIS—and surprisingly, they said no. Her doctor informed her of another type of breast cancer, that of the nipple, called Paget’s disease. That’s when her doctors confirmed that she had two types of cancer in different locations in her breasts.
Stephanie’s doctors explained that her only option was a mastectomy. She could either do a single mastectomy and chemotherapy, or a double mastectomy and potentially avoid chemotherapy.
After learning that the chances of recurrence were around 50%, Stephanie opted for the double mastectomy. She began the process of reconstruction and immediately got genetic testing, as there was a chance her family could be affected. All her tests came back negative, and now, five years later, Stephanie is officially cancer free and healthier than ever.
“I’m healthy again, but we’re years out,” she says. About six months after her diagnosis, it all hit her. “There are certain things from that year that I remember vividly, and then there are other things I don’t remember at all,” she says.
Since she was able to receive excellent, lifesaving care, Stephanie knew she wanted to pay it forward and to give back to the breast cancer community. Ultimately, she decided to support BCRF as a monthly donor.
“I believe that research is the best way to move forward with treatment to help more people become survivors,” she says.
Today, Stephanie is back to all of her activities. She runs, teaches Pilates, and manages her physical therapy office. As she celebrated her five-year survivorship anniversary, Stephanie coordinated with the Lagree studio, where she teaches part time, to set up a charity class to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. She promoted the class for two weeks, shared her story and treatment journey with her local community, and raised $9,000 in the process.
“I felt so grateful and excited both surrounding the event and after.” Stephanie says. “It was so encouraging to see so many people come out in support of me and cancer research as a whole.” Stephanie hopes that people can learn about her story, her journey, and her health, and know to trust their instincts. If something feels off, pursue guidance from trusted sources, but at the end of the day, no one knows their own body better than themselves.
Check out Stephanie’s fundraising page here!
