Kelly Mazmanian has always been a positive person. So, at 34 years old and seven weeks pregnant, she assumed the lump on her breast was scar tissue from the mastitis she experienced while breastfeeding her firstborn son. The last thing she expected to hear was “cancer.” 

Although breast cancer runs in her family, “It wasn’t even on my radar to get screened early,” said Kelly. She was referred to Hoag’s Early Risk Assessment Program at the Women’s Health Institute, where testing confirmed Kelly had stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ. After extensive research, Kelly opted for breast cancer treatment at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute.  

Hoag provided a multidisciplinary team to protect her and her baby’s lives while facilitating the best treatment options to reduce the chance of recurrence. Her team of doctors was led by Lisa Karamardian, MD, Jeffrey M. Carlton Endowed Chair in Women’s Health, in honor of Dr. Anne M. Kent, medical director of Maternal Child Health, and Heather Macdonald, MD, medical director of the Hoag Early Risk Assessment Program and the Hoag Breast & Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program.

Kelly Mazmanian and her family

“All these doctors had to work together because I was a complex case, but since Dr. Macdonald had treated pregnant cancer patients before, it made me very comfortable with her organizing the team,” said Kelly. 

At 12 weeks pregnant, Kelly had a mastectomy that removed five centimeters of cancer and revealed stage III triple-positive breast cancer, a more invasive and extensive cancer. She then had five rounds of chemo before delivering her daughter Blair, weighing a healthy 5 lbs. 10 oz. A month later, she started six additional rounds of chemo before daily radiation treatment. “The doctors had to consider the timing of my delivery along with the timing of the treatments, and everything went seamlessly,” she said.

Two years later, Kelly is cancer-free, back at work, and busy taking care of her two children: Caleb (four) and Blair (two) with her husband Jeff. Her positive outlook continues as she considers herself to be peoples’ “cancer friend,” sharing her story so others know what to expect. “I tell people that you can do this and become a better person after. I feel like cancer has changed my perspective on life and not taking a day for granted.”

Sharing our stories is just one way we show support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We also raise awareness, advocate, get involved, and donate. You can support physician-scientists at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute who are developing new treatments that will have an immediate impact on the lives of patients like Kelly. These treatments include targeted imaging and therapy for metastatic breast cancer that precisely targets and kills cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells. Demonstrate your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a gift to Hoag.

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