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<\/p>\nRooted in her faith and family by her side, Sierra Lara is bravely battling breast cancer while encouraging other young women to take charge of their health. <\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 At 30 years old, Sierra Lara was celebrating major milestones: having her second child, earning her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and pouring into her work as a young entrepreneur, watching her hometown continue to grow.<\/p>\n
Then, a pain in her left breast changed her life.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAll of a sudden, I started feeling a pain in my left breast. I thought, ‘Oh, it’ll go away, everything always goes away.’\u201d<\/p>\n
But the pain did not go away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After testing, Lara received a diagnosis that would change the course of her life: stage 4 metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first they thought it was Stage 3, C triple-negative breast cancer, but after PET scans and biopsies, it was in my bones so they moved me to stage 4 metastatic – triple negative breast cancer\u201d<\/p>\n
Lara, a young mother and wife, is now navigating treatment while leaning on her family, her faith and a community she hopes to encourage through her story.<\/p>\n
\nA diagnosis she never expected <\/p>\n
Lara describes herself as a regular young mom, who wants to make a difference in her community, be the best wife and mother to her two little ones that she can be.<\/p>\n
As someone who enjoys highlighting Corpus Christi businesses and growth, she now has been using her social media platforms to fill in followers on her breast cancer journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just hits you like a wave – you never really expect something like this is gonna happen to you when you\u2019re 30.\u201d<\/p>\n
The diagnosis brought difficult conversations and fears about the future. Lara recalled sitting with her husband, as they both struggled with the uncertainty of what lay ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just tried to put a lot in God\u2019s hands because He\u2019s the only one that has the timeline. That\u2019s just a fact. That\u2019s not an opinion. That\u2019s just a fact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lara said her faith remains an important part of how she approaches each day.<\/p>\n
She also has two young children to care for – making rest and support especially important as she navigates treatment.<\/p>\n
“He [her husband, Eric] gets me all my waters and he leaves them throughout the house to make sure I’m staying hydrated,” Lara shared.<\/p>\n
“We pray together. We talk about everything. Open communication. He\u2019s my champion.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Lara, the support of her family and sister carries an added layer of meaning, as her mother, Sandra Vargas, is a breast cancer survivor herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember as a daughter that time was very emotional – a lot of anxiety – so, I can only imagine how she feels now. She takes great care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
For her mother, watching her daughter now bravely face cancer has been an inspiration to their entire family.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is just the best blessing,” said Vargas proudly.<\/p>\n
\nHelp for patients facing the financial burden of cancer <\/p>\n
Beyond her family, Lara has also found support through The Pink Connection,<\/a> a local nonprofit that provides immediate financial assistance to Coastal Bend residents recently diagnosed with breast cancer.<\/p>\n The organization helped Lara pay off medical bills from MD Anderson Cancer Center, easing some of the financial pressure that can accompany a diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [The Pink Connection] actually just helped me pay off some MD Anderson bills which I was very grateful for that. And it was quick!\u201d Lara said.<\/p>\n Claudia Mostaghasi, who co-founded The Pink Connection, said the goal is to make sure patients do not feel they have to face the experience alone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are here to help so that they don’t feel that they’re having to do the battle by themselves.”<\/p>\n This non-profit is now celebrating two years in the Coastal Bend and prioritizes efficiency for patients.<\/p>\n The application process is designed to move quickly. Once the organization receives an application, it contacts the patient and requests proof of a recent breast cancer diagnosis and the bills the patient needs help covering.<\/p>\n “It’s fast. I mean we get the application, we call them, we send the only requirement again is just proof they have just recently been diagnosed. And then they send in their bills,” Mostaghasi explained.<\/p>\n The assistance is intended to help relieve some of the everyday financial stress that can become overwhelming while someone is undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be that one place where we can remove some of the stress that they have of the daily expenses and everything. This way, they can focus on their health.”<\/p>\n
The statistics can be difficult to face – and even harder to look up, but they underscore an urgent message: taking charge of your health is critical, especially when you have a family history of something like breast cancer.<\/p>\n According to the American Cancer Society:<\/a><\/p>\n Overall, the average risk that a woman in the U.S. will develop breast cancer sometime in her life is about 13%, meaning about 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer.Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S. besides skin cancers. It accounts for about 1 in 3 new cancers in women each year.Breast cancer death rates have declined steadily since 1989, dropping by 44% through 2023. Experts attribute this progress largely to earlier detection through screening, greater awareness and advances in treatment.\u00a0You can find these stats and more, here.<\/a> <\/p>\n
\nWhy early detection matters – even for younger women <\/p>\n