Amy Cheung, 39, breast cancer, Boston, with Dr. Hal Burstein, PHD, clinical investigator, Breast Oncology Center, Dana-Farber
- Amy Cheung was originally diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in September 2015, at the age of 32. At that point, she was feeling the healthiest she had ever been and was training for a marathon. She happened to cough one day and in the process of clutching herself, felt a lump.
- Amy went to her primary doctor a few days later and from there, things moved quickly to a biopsy that confirmed cancer. She was treated then with chemotherapy, then surgery, and radiation and presumed to be cancer free. She continued with anti-hormone therapy to keep the cancer from coming back.
- In late 2019, Amy started experiencing some back pain that she chalked up to exercise. Then from Jan - April 2020, Amy started having regular, low-grade fevers. Finally, after feeling miserable for so long, she e-mailed her oncologist Dr. Hal Burstein and told him of her symptoms. Without delay, Dr. Burstein ordered scans for Amy, which unfortunately revealed extensive cancer metastases in her liver as well as metastases in her bones.
- Amy has undergone several types of treatments for her cancer including surgery, radiation, and targeted therapies.
- She is currently part of a clinical trial that involves a targeted therapy combined with an immunotherapy drug, which enables the body’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
- Having grown up in the Boston area, Amy felt like she had always known about DanaFarber. In high school during the summers, she used to volunteer for the Jimmy Fund at movie theaters, fundraising from movie patrons.