The tell-tale signs women are told to look for include lumps, discharge or discomfort, but in the case of Shondia McFadden-Sabari, mom to Chase, 9 and Trinity, 8, none of these things held true.  

It was a whim – intuition, that motivated her to visit her Ob-Gyn and insist on being screened even though she was only 36.  After an initial mammogram, a follow-up screening and biopsy, she was diagnosed with two different types of breast cancer in one breast - Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS) and Lobular Carcinoma in Situ (LCIS), and two different stages in the other.  

Shondia’s doctor’s deemed chemotherapy and radiation unnecessary, yet she made the bold decision to have both breasts removed and to forego reconstructive surgery.

There’s been much debate about the age at which women should get their first mammogram, the frequency, and their effectiveness, but in Shondia’s case, her hunch paid off.  

Shondia's story here on video

Her message to women is don’t let fear stop you from getting a mammogram, especially if you have a family history.  (Shondia learned that her paternal grandmother, who she did not grow up with, is a breast cancer survivor.)  She also wants women to know that a breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence.  As she likes to say, “Cancer may have taken my breasts, but it didn’t take my sexy, my self-esteem, nor my life.”

Editor's Note: Shondia's story and video submitted by GE's Healthymagination program.