New mother, former Chiefs cheerleader, breast cancer patient

The statistic is sobering: One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

Brandy Reed was a newlywed and a new mom to 4-month-old Jackson when her life took a completely unexpected turn.

In the lactation room at her office, she felt a lump in her breast.

“I didn’t think it was a huge concern,” she said. “I do have a family history of cancer. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and so are two of her sisters and her mother. My father passed of lung cancer when I was 15. But I felt invincible because I was young and healthy.”

A former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader, Brandy had danced and been active her whole life. She convinced herself that the lump was just a plugged milk duct from nursing her infant son. But a friend insisted Brandy visit her doctor.

Brandy had a mammogram and an ultrasound performed at the breast imaging center at Saint Luke’s Hospital.

And that’s when she got the news: stage zero breast cancer.

“I was very scared,” she said. “I did go through my mother’s breast cancer journey with her and saw everything she had to go through. But I had to turn that fear into positivity. Positivity and grace and appreciation for family and friends and for the amazing staff here at Saint Luke’s.”

Because of her family history with cancer, Brandy’s surgeon recommended a mastectomy to prevent recurrence.

“My breast surgeon, Dr. Neblock, was awesome,” Brandy said. “She was very comforting and very forthright and honest. I think that is difficult to share that news to a young patient but her staff was very supportive in my journey.”

Brandy thought everything would be done once her surgery was over. Then she learned she would need chemotherapy. The team at Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute helped her work through her initial shock, anger, and fear.

“They were like my big sisters,” she laughs. “They talked to me and walked me through my first treatment. It didn’t seem so scary. They made me feel very comfortable. When I came to the next one, it was like meeting a long lost friend or a girlfriend for lunch.”

Now that Brandy’s finished her cancer treatment, she’s continuing to focus on her health, her young son, and her future.

“I want to be the best mom, the best sister, the best friend, the best supporter, the best Brandy that I can be,” she said.

“My experience with Saint Luke’s has been very rewarding. The staff is just stellar," Brandy continued. "They helped me propel through the mastectomy, propel me through the chemotherapy treatments that I went through. I’m so grateful that I’m on the other side now.”