• Healthy State
  • Careers
  • Education
  • Research
  • Giving
Ochsner Health Ochsner Health
  • About
  • Find A Doctor (current)
  • Find A Location
  • Specialties & Treatments
MyOchsner Logo
Login | Signup
Submit Search magnifying glass icon
Close Search X icon
  •   Home
  • In To Your Health...
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
  • I need to...
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Location
  • Find A Specialty
  • Schedule An Appointment
  • Pay A Bill
  • Explore
  • About Ochsner
  • Careers
  • Patients & Visitors
  • "To Your Health" Blog
  • Health Resources
  • Medical Professionals
  • Education
  • Philanthropy
  • Community Outreach
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Research
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Call: 1-866-624-7637
  • Online: Login to MyOchsner
  • Personalize your content
  • patient Edit Persona Persona Chooser
To Your Health

View Newsletter Editions
  • Food & Fitness
  • Conditions & Treatment
  • Health Trends
  • Prevention & Wellness
  • Women's Health
  • Men's Health
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting
Eastman 4

Young Mother Triumphs Over Triple Negative Breast Cancer

May 2, 2022 |
Share Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Pinterest Logo Email Logo

At 29 years old, Rachel Eastman was a dietitian, a wife and a mom to a 15-month-old little boy. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer.

Rachel had known breast cancer was probably genetic for her since she carried the BRCA1 gene. To be proactive with her high-risk status, she underwent routine mammograms and breast MRIs every six months. When Rachel developed a lump on her breast in November of 2019, she felt confident it was just a cyst. However, after receiving a biopsy, she was faced with the reality: a diagnosis of stage two, triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for about 10% - 15% of all breast cancers. The phrase triple-negative means that the cancer cells do not have estrogen or progesterone receptors and don’t make much of the protein HER2. Therefore, the cells test “negative” for receptors commonly found in breast cancer across all three tests. Triple-negative breast cancer grows and spreads faster than other forms of breast cancers, which makes it more aggressive and more difficult to treat.

The day after receiving her diagnosis, Rachel had her first oncology appointment and soon after, she began chemotherapy. Rachel says, “I loved every single nurse that I had. Going in as a young person, I think they really looked after me. I used to love going to chemo. It was almost therapeutic. I knew I was in good hands.”

Rachel said there were low points throughout her treatment but that she would tell anyone navigating a cancer diagnosis to speak to their doctor if they are struggling. When chemotherapy made her sick, her care team was able to find ways to make treatment more manageable and help with her symptoms. Rachel says, “Any time I had a question or a concern, I could call my doctor or send a message in MyOchsner and get a response right away. I never felt like I was on my own.”

After successfully completing chemotherapy, Rachel underwent a double mastectomy on May 27, 2020, and was found to have no residual cancer. May 4, 2021, marked one year since completing chemotherapy, and she says her life has changed significantly since her cancer diagnosis. Rachel says, “Life changed in that I realized life is short. People my age can get cancer. You tend to think that only happens to other people. It really centered me on what is important in life.”

Rachel’s journey has had some more tangible results too. Because of her diagnosis, Rachel’s two sisters were also tested for the BRCA1 gene and have undergone mastectomies to reduce their risk of navigating the same diagnosis that Rachel did. Rachel has also taken a few less hours at work to spend more time with her soon-to-be 3-year-old son. “During treatment, it was difficult to play with him sometimes. Now I’m making up for lost time. I’m focusing on getting back to myself and living my life with my family.”

Learn more about Cancer Care at Ochsner. 


Tags
cancer
breast cancer
patient stories

You may also be interested in:

154216755 Breast Cancer Tech Image
Conditions & Treatment
September 22, 2020

What is a Mastectomy?

Learn more about the surgical options available to breast cancer patients.
Mammogram testing
Prevention & Wellness
May 28, 2021

Cancer Screenings are More Important Now than Ever

We’ve all heard that early detection is key when dealing with cancer, but what does that look like in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak?
Mother and baby
Prevention & Wellness
September 4, 2020

Can Breastfeeding Prevent Breast Cancer?

Breastfeeding lowers the rate of postpartum depression, helps to achieve faster weight loss and may even lower your risk for developing breast cancer.

email envelop icon Comments about the blog? Send us an email!

Ochsner Health

Schedule An Appointment: 1-866-624-7637

Follow us: Facebook Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok Twitter Follow Ochsner Health on Twitter LinkedIn Visit Ochsner Health's LinkedIn page Instagram Follow Ochsner Health on Instagram YouTube Subscribe to Ochsner Health on YouTube Pinterest Follow Ochsner Health on Pinterest TikTok Follow Ochsner Health on TikTok

Healthy living tips, delivered weekly to your inbox.

Sign Up

Patients & Visitors

  • Billing & Financial Services
  • Insurance Information
  • International Patients
  • Request Medical Records
  • Share Your Story
  • Read Patient Stories

Medical Professionals

  • Transfer a Patient
  • Refer a Patient

Health Resources

  • To Your Health Blog
  • Golden Opportunity
  • Healthy State
  • Ochsner Magazine

Job Seekers

  • Career Paths
  • Benefits
  • Open Positions

Employees

  • Webmail
  • OHSLink
  • Workday

Employers

  • Corporate Wellness
  • Medicare Advantage Plans

Community Outreach

  • Classes & Events
  • Programs
  • Community Health Needs Assessment
  • Dr. John Ochsner Discovery Health Sciences Academy

Education

  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Clinical Medical Education
  • Continuing Medical Education
  • Medical Library
  • Publishing Services
  • Medical Illustrations

Research

  • Clinical Trials
  • Applied Health Services Research
  • Clinical Research & Trials
  • Nursing Research
  • Translational Research

Giving

  • Donate
  • Volunteer

About Ochsner

  • Mission & Vision
  • History
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Annual Report
  • Outcomes & Honors
  • News & Media
  • Alumni
  • Ochsner Health Network
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • O Bar
  • Optical Shop
  • Ochsner Fitness Center
  • Brent House Hotel

© Ochsner Health  | Notice of Privacy Practices | Terms of Use | Vendor Information

Ochsner accepts all major insurances.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Community Needs Health Assessment

EpicMobile Tablet | EpicMobile Phone

newsletter icon

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

newsletter icon

Select the newsletters you'd like to receive.

Please select at least one category to continue.

Curious about our newsletters?

View details for each edition
newsletter icon

Let us know where to send your newsletters.

To Your Health- Food and Fitness:
To Your Health- General:
To Your Health- Men’s Health:
To Your Health- Parenting:
To Your Health- Women’s Health:
To Your Health-Mental Health Monthly":
To Your Health- Skin Deep:

Source:
Source Description:
Marketing Goal:
newsletter icon

You're all set!

We’ll send newsletters full of healthy living tips right to your inbox.

Ochsner Health System
magnifying glass icon
ESC to Close

Begin Typing to Search

Select the drop-down to filter Search by Blog Articles or Sitewide