HELENA — Breast cancer affects hundreds of Montanans every year, but for survivor Katie Beall, the diagnosis became a turning point not just in her life, but in how she inspires others.
“I value my health and the chance to be alive,” Beall said.
Breast cancer survivor shares the importance of self-exams:
At just 34 years old, Beall was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
Beall says, “Breast cancer is so complicated; everyone’s treatment plan will be different, and mine took a whole year.”
A year of chemo, radiation, surgery, and trying to balance life.
“The physical rigors of breast cancer treatment are exhausting, and on the worst days, I would break it down to like get through the next fifteen minutes, then get to the next hour.”
Although that battle was tough, Beall says she is thankful she caught her cancer early by getting a lump she found checked out.
Watch to learn why Beall feels self-exams are important:
“For me, I felt like I chose everything,” Beall says. “Chemo did not happen, surgery did not happen, radiation didn’t happen to me. I chose it and that made and that helped me accept kind of the surrealness of the extreme nature of cancer treatment.”
Beall finished treatment in March of 2023, but says her battle is not over yet.
“You finish treatment, and I kept thinking there would be a finish line moment, but there is not,” said Beall.
Her fight continues as she recovers, but she also aims to bring attention to other struggles that come with having breast cancer at a young age.
Beall says, “One thing that is unique about being a cancer patient under age 40 is that chemo causes infertility, and so that means before treatment you need to do sperm or egg or embryo banking so you can have a chance of children in the future.”
For Beall, this month is about way more than all things pink; it's about making those going through this battle feel seen and supported.
“Cancer will transform you, you won’t go back to who you were before, but you will know what you love and know what you value,” Beall said.
According to the National Institute for Health, early detection of breast cancer is essential to ensuring effective management plans with successful endpoints. For information on how to perform a self-exam, you can visit this link.
