Two years ago, Vianney De Los Angeles \u2014 a Miami swimmer, triathlete and weightlifter \u2014 felt a lump in her breast after a workout. She assumed she had pulled a muscle.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what competitive athletes do. Rationalize. Bargain. Train it out.<\/p>\n
But a routine physical after that lump wouldn\u2019t conveniently unknot itself led her to get an early mammogram and ultrasound.<\/p>\n
As Breast Cancer Month activities in South Florida ramp up in the remaining weeks of October, De Los Angeles, 49, is sharing her story to spread awareness and to let others know: You\u2019re not alone in this battle.<\/p>\n
During the exam, her doctors kept looking at the screen, De Los Angeles said in a conversation inside her Kendall living room on a recent October morning. She had just completed a 5:15 a.m. swim practice with the Gulliver Masters swim team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking, \u2018Oh God, why are they looking at the screen so long?\u2019 Like, they\u2019re circling this and doing this and the other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The physicians stepped out of the room. One returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my gosh, what is happening?\u201d she remembers thinking. \u201cI\u2019m still not thinking that it\u2019s breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_4_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\" "\\"MIA_4_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles, 49, a breast cancer survivor, is photographed at her home on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Kendall. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
De Los Angeles had no family history of breast cancer.<\/p>\n
While still at her appointment, she was told she needed to return for a biopsy. She called her aunt crying.<\/p>\n
De Los Angeles, who provides software and data analytics to the hotel industry, received a diagnosis of stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma in February 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cValentine’s Day. A nice gift, right?\u201d De Los Angeles said.<\/p>\n
Doctors elsewhere initially told De Los Angeles she needed a double mastectomy. She sought a second opinion at the University of Miami Health System\u2019s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sylvester surgeons determined a breast-conserving lumpectomy was the better option, according to UHealth.<\/p>\n
Swimmers fight cancer Vianney De Los Angeles takes a selfie with fellow Gulliver Masters, whom she rallied to raise $2,000 for the American Cancer Society in July by swimming 5 miles in a week\u2019s time. Vianny De Los Angeles <\/p>\n
Like her mother, De Los Angeles\u2019 daughter Dalilah is a swimmer. She was 11 at the time of her mom\u2019s diagnosis and swimming with Coach Mike LaMonica<\/a>\u2019s Gulliver Raiders in Pinecrest.<\/p>\n Less than a year after diagnosis, in January 2025, De Los Angeles joined LaMonica\u2019s Gulliver Masters swim team for adults. This July, she rallied about 30 of her early-morning teammates on a 5-mile swim fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The fundraiser brought in more than $2,000. The swimmers achieved the 5-mile goal by swimming over 8,000 meters in a week in workouts that routinely range between 2,600 and 3,000 meters in a single session, she said.<\/p>\n Grueling for some. Impossible for many. And then there\u2019s Vianney.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw Vianney in cancer treatment in the afternoon and showing up the next morning ready to go at 5 a.m. There\u2019s 200-butterfly tough, and there\u2019s fight-and-beat-cancer tough. She\u2019s next-level tough,\u201d said LaMonica, 65, a national champion butterfly event swimmer<\/a> in his 65-69 age group.<\/p>\n U.S. Masters swimmers are eligible to join at age 18, and there are some adult swimmers who are still training \u2014 or even competing in meets \u2014 in South Florida and nationwide over age 100.<\/p>\n Many of those local swimmers have lives touched by cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know somebody, or you have been through it, or you have heard of someone passing away from cancer. So, in us talking to each other, we learn so much about each other, and we have so much in common,\u201d De Los Angeles said about her fellow Gulliver swimmers.<\/p>\n Last October, De Los Angeles was profiled by the SwimSwam newsletter alongside her teammate Kellie Feintech about their individual journeys navigating cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Feintech lost her uncle to pancreatic cancer. His doctors suggested genetic testing for members of his family. Feintech and several other family members tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation<\/a>, which can indicate a significantly increased risk for several cancers and, particularly, aggressive triple-negative breast cancer<\/a>, which disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic women, as well as younger women, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.<\/p>\n Feintech had preventative surgery. She calls herself a \u201cprevivor,\u201d SwimSwam reported.<\/p>\n De Los Angeles\u2019 Gulliver Masters teammate Scott Mershon, who has been training and competing on Miami swim teams since age 6 in 1970, participated in July\u2019s fundraiser alongside De Los Angeles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all inspired to train hard next to Vianney,\u201d said Mershon, 61. \u201cI would say we power through practice without fail, as Vianney had the Big C and beat the Big C as she was training side by side with the team. … As lifetime competitive swimmers, there\u2019s no reason to complain about our training when others are affected with health issues and are still powering through.\u201d<\/p>\n Mershon echoes a motivational line to describe De Los Angeles\u2019 mindset. He almost assuredly had it drilled into his fins from his late coach, Al Sheeler<\/a>, who was famed, or feared, for his strict disciplinarian style, visionary coaching, and push to excel in the sport at his former South Miami-Dade facility in the 1960s through \u201880s: \u201cLong and strong.\u201d<\/p>\n Exercise\u2019s role in fighting cancer Dr. Frances Valdes, a breast medical oncologist with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of De Los Angeles\u2019 doctors. Valdes applauds her patient\u2019s athletic lifestyle and said several large studies back the benefits of finding a physical and social activity when dealing with cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cThree to six hours of true committed exercise per week does improve outcomes,\u201d Valdes said in a phone interview with the Miami Herald. \u201cIn addition, particularly for breast cancer and for the therapies that we give \u2014 particularly whether they require chemo or endocrine therapy, anti-estrogen \u2014 it is particularly beneficial in reducing the side effects from our treatment across the board. It will improve adherence … which equals a higher chance for remaining in remission and cure.\u201d<\/p>\n De Los Angeles said she went through about 20 rounds of radiation and did not need chemotherapy. She\u2019s on a five-year hormone therapy plan and has regular screenings. She receives hormone blockers that remove estrogen from her body. The treatment caused her joints to get stuck on occasion. Painful. Her doctors recommended swimming to manage the treatment-related joint pain, she said. Freestyle is her stroke.<\/p>\n She jokes that she initially got into swimming about 15 years ago when she did sprint triathlons. \u201cThat\u2019s what got me into swimming. I\u2019ve always wanted to be a swimmer. But I\u2019m from Jersey, and you know people in Jersey don\u2019t swim,\u201d she said, laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a super exercise fiend, but try to practice what we preach,\u201d Dr. Valdes said. At every visit, Valdes says she tells her patients: \u201cYou will have a better quality of life, a better sense of well-being, and improve your outcomes with regular exercise. For stage 1 and 2, the prognosis, particularly with hormone receptor positive breast cancer, is very optimistic. We\u2019re talking about greater than 90% 10-year survival rates.\u201d<\/p>\n In the mid-1970s, the five-year cancer survival rate for all sites of the disease was 50%. Now it\u2019s 70%, according to the American Cancer Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n Breast Cancer Month events The Gulliver swimmers\u2019 July fundraiser for the American Cancer Society was a harbinger of what remains a busy October in Miami-Dade and Broward for Breast Cancer Month awareness events<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among them:<\/p>\n The 2026 Susan G. Komen Miami\/Fort Lauderdale More Than Pink Walk<\/a>. A 5K walk or shorter 1.5-mile walk on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo Center, 10901 Coral Way, Miami. The site opens at 7 a.m.; the opening ceremony is at 8:30 a.m.; the walk begins at 9 a.m.American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Broward<\/a>. A 3- to 5-mile walk Saturday, Oct. 17, at Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise. Opens at 7 a.m.American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Miami<\/a>. The signature Miami version is Saturday, Oct. 24, at loanDepot Park West Plaza, 501 Marlins Way, Miami. Check-in is at 7 a.m.A thriver\u2019s message<\/p>\n De Los Angeles said she\u2019s sharing her story because she wants others to pay attention to their bodies and \u201cget themselves checked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what type of history you have. Keep up with your checkups. Go get checked every single year. Go get your physical. Because it\u2019s good to be aware of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to self-advocate if something feels off, she said. That\u2019s a point De Los Angeles\u2019 doctor at Sylvester stresses, too.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you\u2019re below the standard recommendation of 40 years, we\u2019re seeing many patients in their late 20s and 30s developing cancer. So don\u2019t disregard what you think might be a little bit out of the norm and also don\u2019t let fear keep you from seeking medical attention because there\u2019s so many good therapies. It\u2019s better to know and know early,\u201d said Valdes.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t overlook the power of others for your mental health and uplift.<\/p>\n \u201cFind something that you love to do and bring other people along, or join a community so that you\u2019re not alone. A lot of this cancer stuff is mental, and if you don\u2019t have the right state of mind you could get even more sick. You never know who you\u2019re inspiring or who you\u2019re uplifting by just showing up,\u201d De Los Angeles said.<\/p>\n And, not surprisingly, Coach Mike, the butterfly dynamo, gets the last word.<\/p>\n \u201cCompared to what Vianney was and is up against, most excuses are really just excuses,\u201d LaMonica said. \u201cI think if you can take on a dark 5 a.m. pool doing really hard stuff with really fast people, you can do anything: Heart surgery. Cancer treatments. Miami traffic. Well, maybe not that.\u201d<\/p>\n Miami Herald staff writer Howard Cohen is a competition masters swimmer with Hurricane Aquatics at the University of Miami. He had surgery to remove melanoma skin cancer on Oct. 12, shortly after interviewing fellow swimmer Vianney De Los Angeles, and butterfly rival, Mike LaMonica, for this feature.<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 15, 2026 at 11:46 AM.<\/p>\n Howard Cohen<\/a><\/p>\n Miami Herald<\/p>\n Miami Herald consumer trends reporter Howard Cohen, a 2017 Media Excellence Awards winner, has covered pop music, theater, health and fitness, obituaries, municipal government, breaking news and general assignment. He started his career in the Features department at the Miami Herald in 1991. Cohen is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Communication.![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_1_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\" "\\"MIA_1_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles, 49, a breast cancer survivor, is photographed at her home on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Kendall. A routine physical two years ago led to an early mammogram and a diagnosis of stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. She\u2019s now a swimmer with Gulliver Raiders and led an American Cancer Society fundraiser with her teammates in July. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Masters swimmers<\/p>\n![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_2843.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_2843.jpeg\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles, Coach Mike LaMonica and Kelly Feintech at Gulliver Raiders\u2019 swim practice on Oct. 19, 2025. Mike LaMonica Courtesy of Vianney De Los Angeles \u2018Long and strong\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_3_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\" "\\"MIA_3_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles, 49, a breast cancer survivor, is photographed at her home with her Gulliver masters swimming gear on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_2_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\" "\\"MIA_2_Cancer_Portrait_MJO.JPG\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles, 49, a breast cancer survivor, is photographed at her home on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Kendall. A routine physical two years ago led to an early mammogram and a diagnosis of stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. She\u2019s now a swimmer with Gulliver Masters and led an American Cancer Society fundraiser with her teammates in July. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n![\"Vianney](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GPAE1367.jpg\" "\\"GPAE1367.jpg\\"")
Vianney De Los Angeles is captured by her coach\u2019s camera as she swims with the Gulliver Raiders Masters swim team. \u201cI love this pic because it brings me so much emotion,\u201d she wrote in a caption. \u201cCoach Mike LaMonica took this picture of me. He made me feel like a professional, like I belong in Swim Club and it just makes me realize how far I\u2019ve come and how long I\u2019ve fought! And just to keep swimming! And I look like a professional athlete even though I may not swim as one … haha.\u201d Mike LaMonica Courtesy of Vianney De Los Angeles <\/p>\n
\n ![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792084093_74_Newsroom_Headshots_MJO_46.jpg\")
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