Clinical-Trials Patient Stories

Lael Swank

On March 9, 2010, Lael Swank celebrated her 39th birthday and within the week she noticed a lump in her left breast while taking a shower. "It couldn't be," she thought. With no family history of breast cancer, Lael figured she'd get her first mammogram the following year, when she turned 40. Within days, Lael was not only scheduled for a mammogram, but she underwent an ultrasound and biopsy and on March 23, Lael was diagnosed with stage IIB, grade III, invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer).