Too young for cancer? This mom’s instincts beat the odds

She was told over and over again she was too young for breast cancer

But with a family history, Michaela Delbarrio was persistent. Growing up, I knew it was always something that I wanted to mention whenever I had a new provider

And I always brought it up. So after the birth of her second child, Delbarrio brought it up again to her doctor

After she was referred to a high-risk doctor at the age of 35, she underwent an augmented MRI

a tool used specifically for high-risk patients. Her suspicions were accurate. The mother of two had cancer

I was completely shocked. I couldn't believe that. I think I felt I was doing all the things

being very proactive about my health, always making sure to mention my family history

doing the risk assessment. I felt all these things I was doing in good measure

but not actually expecting to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer. I always advise patients that they should always be aware of their family history

And there is a breast cancer risk assessment tool that is utilized in a lot of the high breast cancer clinics Dr Annabelle Verapanini is Del Barrio doctor She says her patient did everything right What I think is really important for people to understand is that

if you have a concern, make sure that you advocate for yourself and you follow up on those concerns

And then there's always an opportunity to seek medical attention. Delbarrio underwent a bilateral mastectomy in chemotherapy at Northwestern Medicine

Doctors say her prognosis is good. For Del Barrio, she feels sharing her story could save another woman's life

I think what is so important about sharing my story is because there aren't a lot of women that look like me in the waiting room

And the fact is one in eight women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime

Because at the end of the day, Del Barrio knows she has a lot to live for. I think I'm just so glad that I took a lot of initiative to get my risk assessment, to figure these things out, to have additional screenings

Because if I had waited until I was 40, I don't even know what would have happened

Straight Arrow News has provided breast cancer self-check tools on our website and mobile app

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Henry