A 38-year-old woman has warned that healthy habits may not protect you from disease after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, despite being a ‘health fanatic’.
Jessica White ate organic food, practiced hot yoga five days a week, walked regularly and took daily one-hour breaks for her mental health.
So when the matchmaking company owner felt a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, she said the news came as a “shock.”
The Idaho native underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and completed six rounds of chemotherapy, but is speaking out because she believes the cancer may have been caused by her very high stress levels and frequent alcohol consumption.
Jessica White, 38, from Idaho, was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in April 2023. She is pictured above earlier this year
The small business owner said she had surgery to remove the lump in her breast and then had to undergo six rounds of chemotherapy
Mrs. White told it Newsweek: ‘This trip has really made me realize that it doesn’t matter if you do healthy things in your life and adopt the latest wellness trends.
“Eating organic isn’t everything, and yoga can help your health, but it can’t save it.”
She added: ‘I didn’t get the easy answer to why I got cancer.
‘But I can say that the regular consumption of alcohol and the persistent high cortisol levels in my life prevented my body from kicking the cancer cells to the side.’
Ms. White is one of approximately 240,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed with breast cancer each year, about 40,000 of whom die from the disease.
Cases have risen slightly in recent years and doctors are blaming everything from higher obesity rates, poor diet and not having children.
However, cancer death rates have fallen, which is due to better screening tests and treatments.
It is rare for women under the age of 40, like Ms White, to develop the disease, with the age group making up less than four per cent of cases.
The rate of breast cancer is highest among people aged 70 and older.
Ms White has regularly posted about her experiences on TikTok, including how she dealt with her hair loss caused by chemotherapy
Checking your breasts should be part of a monthly routine so that you notice any unusual changes. Simply rub and feel from top to bottom, feeling in semi-circles and in a circular motion around your breast tissue to feel for any abnormalities
Ms White said she first felt the lump in her breast in November 2022 and rushed to the doctor for a check-up.
They carried out a number of tests – including a mammogram and a biopsy – before confirming the cancer in April 2023.
She was told she had stage one invasive ductal carcinoma, where a cancerous tumor had developed in the milk ducts but had not spread to other parts of the body.
This is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 80 percent of all cases.
In May 2023, she underwent a lumpectomy, an operation to cut the cancer cells from the breast.
She was then given six weeks of chemotherapy to eradicate any cancer cells that may have remained in her body. She completed this chemotherapy in December 2023.
Now that she has completed her treatment, Mrs. White is trying to live life to the fullest.
Since December, she has visited Costa Rica to surf, started gardening and returned to work.
Mrs White said: ‘I have come to realize that if you are not healthy you have nothing to do in life.
‘The chemo has been so hard on my body.
‘Never in my life did I think I would fantasize about being able to take a simple walk outside at the age of 38.
“I’ve seen such dramatic atrophy in my life over the past few seasons, so I’m grateful for every little bit of life.”
She added: “It took all summer to change my rhythm and get used to a slower pace of life.
“Cutting down drinking and stress became easier because I could just focus on my healing.”
Several studies have linked alcohol consumption to a higher risk of breast cancer, with officials in Iowa recently blaming high binge drinking rates for the state having the fastest growing cancer rates in the country.
The body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can damage DNA and cause cells to become cancerous.
Pressure groups warn that women who drink just three alcoholic drinks a week have a 15 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who don’t drink at all.
Stress has also been linked to breast cancer, because the chronic inflammation it causes in the body increases the risk of DNA mutations in cells.
Ms White told Newsweek: ‘When I started sharing (my journey) on social media, I started to realize how many young women have gone through the exact same experience.
‘I felt empowered to answer questions, give advice and, above all, offer comfort. It is a powerful experience to help someone feel less alone. If I can give any advice, it is to prioritize your health.
‘Don’t hesitate to have something investigated or to stand up for yourself. Take care of yourself, because like I said, without your health you have nothing.’