Breast cancer survivor shares journey, encourages others fighting similar battle

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Doctors say one in eight women in the U.S. will have breast cancer.

The color pink is meant to show support for people battling breast cancer. It’s to honor survivors and bring awareness. Katrica Sias has been a breast cancer survivor for one year.

“The journey has been eventful,” Sias said. “Well, just trials and tribulations and just not giving up and still standing strong because I have a lot of people that I need to stay strong for, such as my little girl.”

Sias said she was doing her yearly check-up when she found out she had breast cancer.

“I was diagnosed. Prior to that, I was just 38 years old. Not 40 yet,” Sias said. “I was diagnosed with grade two breast cancer, and I was just loss for words.”

Sias says she was the first in her family to be diagnosed.

“I was just one of those percentages that I was the lucky girl to carry, which was really bizarre to me,” the breast cancer survivor said. “I’m still grasping it because it’s like, it’s still fresh.”

Dr. Akshjot Puri with Our Lady of Lourdes JD Moncus Cancer Center said it is important to know your risk factors.

“Analyze what your family history is,” Puri said. “Analyze what your own risks are, and discuss this with your primary care physician and when is the right time for you to start screening mammograms.”

“There’s a lot more hope,” Puri added. “There is a lot more time and there’s a lot of more memories to be made with loved ones during this challenging time as well.”

Sias said she kept herself busy while going through chemo treatments and encouraged those battling an illness to do the same.

“Keeping yourself occupied,” she said. “Don’t change your daily habits just because something happens to you, such as cancer. I don’t like to use the word bad because you can still push through it. You don’t have to be 40 for a mammogram. You don’t have to be 40 for a wellness check. Check yourself.”

“I pat myself on the back for being a survivor with many years to go because we’re not doing this again,” she added.