A 38-year-old woman has warned that healthy habits may not protect her from illness after she was diagnosed with breast cancer despite being a ‘health freak’.
Jessica White ate organic foods, practiced hot yoga five days a week, went on regular walks, and took daily one-hour breaks for her mental health.
So when the dating business owner felt a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, she said the news came as a “shock.”
The Idaho native underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lump and completed six rounds of chemotherapy, but she is speaking out because she believes the cancer may have developed due to her high levels of stress and frequent alcohol consumption.
Jessica White, 38, from Idaho, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in April 2023. Pictured above at the beginning of the year.
The small business owner said she underwent surgery to remove the lump in her breast and was then sent on six rounds of chemotherapy.
Mrs. White said news week: ‘This journey has really made me realize that it doesn’t matter if you do healthy things in your life and embrace the latest wellness trends.
“Eating organic foods isn’t everything, and yoga can help your health, but it won’t save it.”
He added: “They didn’t give me the easy answer as to why I had cancer.”
“But I can say that regular alcohol consumption and persistently high cortisol in my life were contributing factors to my body’s failure to eliminate cancer cells.”
Ms. White is one of about 240,000 women in the U.S. who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and about 40,000 die from the disease.
Cases have increased slightly in recent years, and doctors blame everything from higher rates of obesity, poor diet and not having children.
However, cancer death rates have decreased, which is due to better screening and treatments.
It is rare for women under 40 like Ms. White to develop the disease; this age group represents less than four percent of cases.
Breast cancer rates are highest among people age 70 and older.
Ms. White has regularly posted about her experience on TikTok, including how she handled hair loss caused by chemotherapy.
Checking your breasts should be part of a monthly routine so that you notice any unusual changes. Simply rub and feel up and down, feeling in semicircles and in a circular motion around the breast tissue to detect any abnormalities.
Ms. White said she first felt the lump in her breast in November 2022 and quickly went to the doctor to be examined.
They performed a series of tests, which could include a mammogram and biopsy, before confirming cancer in April 2023.
She was told she had stage one invasive ductal carcinoma, where a cancerous lump had developed in the milk ducts but had not spread to other parts of the body.
This is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 80 percent of all cases.
She underwent a lumpectomy in May 2023, a surgery in which breast cancer cells were removed.
He then received six weeks of chemotherapy to help eradicate any cancer cells that may have remained in his body, which ended in December 2023.
Having completed her treatment, Ms White is trying to live life to the fullest.
Since December he visited Costa Rica to surf, started working in the garden and returned to his job.
Mrs. White said, “I have realized that you have nothing in life if you are not healthy.”
‘Chemotherapy has been very hard on my body.
“Never in my life did I think I would fantasize about being able to take a simple walk outdoors at the age of 38.
“I’ve seen such dramatic atrophy in my life over these past few seasons, so I’m grateful for every little piece of life.”
He added: ‘It has taken me all summer to change my pace and get used to a slower pace of life.
“Stopping alcohol and stress was easier because the only thing I could focus on was my healing.”
Several studies have linked alcohol consumption to an increased risk of breast cancer, and Iowa officials recently blamed high rates of binge drinking for the state having the fastest-growing cancer rate in the nation. .
The body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can damage DNA and cause cells to become cancerous.
Lobby groups warn that women who have just three alcoholic drinks a week have a 15 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to those who don’t drink at all.
Stress has also been linked to breast cancer because the chronic inflammation it causes in the body increases the risk of DNA mutations in cells.
Mrs White told Newsweek: ‘When I started sharing (my journey) on social media, I started to realize how many young women have gone through the exact same experience.
‘I felt empowered to answer questions, offer advice and, above all, offer comfort. It is a powerful experience to help someone feel less alone. If I can offer you any advice, it is to prioritize your health.
‘Don’t hesitate to have something checked or to stand up for yourself. Take care of yourself because, as I said, without health you have nothing.’