TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (InvestigateTV) – Twelve years ago, Brittany Auclair and her son Brayden’s lives became entwined in a way few ever experience.
“I like to call him my little superhero,” Auclair said.
It was a time when Auclair helped start Brayden’s life. And when Brayden saved hers.
“It makes me feel pretty good that she’s here because of me. I brag on it a little bit,” Brayden said, smiling next to his mom.
Brayden was just eight months old when Brittany first noticed something while breastfeeding.
“He decided that he favored one side over the other, but I did notice that while I went to work when I was pumping, there was a lump,” Brittany said.
Tallahassee breast cancer survivor Brittany Auclair shows items recalling her fight with breast cancer in 2013 when she was diagnosed at age 29.
Auclair followed up with her doctor, who happened to also be a breast cancer survivor.
“She said, ‘I’m not waiting to make an appointment, I want you to come in as soon as possible,” she said.
Thinking it was a clogged milk duct, Auclair underwent scans and tests. Then, just a few days after her 29th birthday, she got the news.
“I remember kind of hitting a brick wall, hearing her say, ‘You have cancer,’” she said. “I shut down.”
The new mom was facing triple-negative breast cancer.
However, new data shows that Auclair was not alone, and her story is one becoming increasingly common.
Our investigators examined new studies from organizations like the American Cancer Society (ACS) that show the disease is occurring more often in young adults.
ACS estimates say that about 80,000 Americans ages 20 to 29 are diagnosed with cancer every year.
Cancer is also the fifth-leading cause of death in this age group, and it’s the leading cause of death among women in this age group.
But that’s just scratching the surface.
Auclair is speaking out to raise awareness about cancer in young people.
See more of Auclair’s story by clicking here.
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