Newlywed and Newly Diagnosed: Breast Cancer Survivor Tiera White

Valentine’s Day in 2021 was no ordinary occasion for Tiera White. Just weeks away from her wedding, the 32-year-old was relaxing at home when she felt the side of her breast and discovered a lump.

Most women her age would likely brush it off or assume it’s something benign and make a note to call their doctor about it later. Most women her age would not expect a small lump in their breast to be anything more than a cyst.

Tiera was not like most women her age. She was the daughter of a breast cancer survivor. In fact, her mother faced her own diagnosis in 2018, and Tiera was by her side throughout her treatment and recovery.

So, when Tiera discovered the lump, her first phone call was to her mother.

“My mom immediately told me to call my OBGYN,” Tiera says. “I was so nervous. I had a vague thought that it could be something serious, but I also thought that I was too young to have breast cancer.”

Her doctor thought so, too. But Tiera’s lump wasn’t budging, and those vague thoughts soon turned to fear. She went back to her doctor who referred her to the Breast Health Center and Dr. Deanna Mansker, a board-certified surgeon with Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists.

From Wedding Bells to a Cancer Diagnosis

In the meantime, she was busily preparing for her March 6, 2021, wedding to her fiancé, Donald, and looking forward to their bright future together.

Three days after their nuptials, Tiera had a mammogram and biopsy. Days later, while Tiera was working — she is a clinical coordinator and laboratory technician at Winning Orthodontics Smiles — she received a call from Dr. Mansker confirming what she had feared most: breast cancer.

“It was like a flashback to my mom’s experience,” she recalls. “I had the same type of cancer in the exact same place, and I knew that my life was about to be turned upside down.”

Aggressive Treatment for an Aggressive Cancer

Tiera was diagnosed with triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer that is commonly found in women younger than age 40. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, this type of cancer disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic women. Since it often occurs before women have their first mammogram, regular clinical breast exams and monthly self-exams are critical to early detection.

Read More: Know Your Lemons: How to Do a Breast Self-Exam

Because of her age and the aggressive nature of the tumor, Tiera’s treatment was scheduled to begin as soon as possible.

She was referred to the cancer experts at the MUSC-affiliated Beaufort Memorial Keyserling Cancer Center in Beaufort. The team that set about creating a treatment plan included three board-certified physicians — her surgeon Dr. Mansker, medical oncologist Dr. Mark Newberry and radiation oncologist Dr. Jonathan Briggs — who all worked closely with oncology nurse practitioners Katy Jones and Susanne Baisch and a breast care navigator.

“I had this vision of getting married and eventually starting a family, but I had to take care of the cancer,” Tiera says.

Tiera considered freezing her eggs in the event that her cancer treatment would make it difficult to become pregnant later, but time was not on her side.

“I called fertility clinics to discuss my options, but all of the available appointments were too far out, and I could not risk the likelihood that the cancer would spread,” she says.

On March 31, mere weeks after her diagnosis, Tiera’s port was placed in her chest so she could begin a rigorous 19-week course of intravenous chemotherapy two weeks later on April 15. Two weeks after completing chemo, she had a lumpectomy to remove the shrunken tumor.

To ensure that all traces of the tumor were neutralized, she began six weeks of daily radiation therapy sessions directly targeting the tumor site. Finally, on Jan. 11, 2022, she rang the bell signifying that she had completed her last and final treatment.

Finding Hope

Tiera says that her mother and husband were her biggest supporters throughout it all.

“The fact that my mom had gone through the same treatment before me was a big help,” she says. “She helped me understand what was coming and how I might feel, and she also gave me hope because she survived.”

Tiera continued to work during her treatment, a decision she believes helped her stay positive, hopeful and active.

“The doctors told me that I needed to stay active both physically and mentally,” she says. “I found that I was able to do both through my work and my family.”

Read More: Faith Over Fear: Breast Cancer Survivor Shemikia Brown

She credits her boss and co-workers for supporting her and providing the flexibility she needed to attend doctors’ appointments and treatments throughout the nine-month journey.

“I love my work and the people I work with,” she says. “I feel like I help change lives everyday by giving people the confidence to smile.”

A New Perspective

Today, Tiera is grateful to be on the other side of her diagnosis.

“I truly feel blessed to be where I am today,” the now 34-year-old says. “Going through what I did made me understand that I am stronger than I thought I was, and I have a whole new perspective on life and what matters most.”

Her advice to others: “Don’t be afraid to check your breasts regularly, no matter how old you are” she says. “It is better to detect it earlier than to find it later. That’s how I survived.”

Be proactive about your breast health. Request an appointment for a screening mammogram at the Breast Health Centers in Beaufort or Okatie or schedule one by calling 843-522-5015.