PHOENIX — October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and 12News is spotlighting Arizona's Samantha Millar Maddox, who found out she had breast cancer at the end of 2022.
The life-changing diagnosis put a strain on many areas of her life from her health to her career and financial stress. But now, Samantha is just weeks away from what she hopes will be her final scan.
Samantha said she found a small lump on her chest in 2022. Shortly after, she ended up getting really sick with a gallbladder infection and was in the hospital for three weeks. During her hospital stay, Samantha said the lump grew to the size of a softball.
Once she was healthy enough for a mammogram, Samantha said she found out the devastating news just two days before Christmas: stage two breast cancer.
Treatment soon followed, including chemotherapy in January of 2023. She had radiation and surgery too. Samantha said finding out her diagnoses was one of the scariest days of her life.
“I was scared, obviously," Samantha said. "I was scared before I even went to the doctor because I knew something was going on. Everyone was like no, it’s just a little tumor, nothing that’s a big deal. But I have kids, so I want to be a grandma one day. So I was like really upset - scared.”
But Samantha hasn't had to fight this illness on her own.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
Bosom Buddies, an organization based in Chandler, said they are ready to support women battling the devastating disease. The group offers financial and personal resources to local breast cancer warriors.
Samantha said Bosom Buddies helped her pay a lot of bills after she was forced to quit her job when she was diagnosed. The organization has a hotline, local support groups, social media and financial aid available for women who are survivors or battling breast cancer right now.
There’s a grant application. And Samantha said she looked all over for assistance when she exhausted all of her resources.
“They blessed me with financial help to be able to keep my house and my car and all that good stuff," Samantha said. "Just the payments updated just to kind of give me some stress relief so I didn’t have to scramble for a way to pay the bills that month.”
Steph Cook is a Bosom Buddies volunteer and said they're ready to help Arizonans fighting breast cancer.
“Those basic bare necessities are what we like to focus on supporting people with," Cook said. "So making sure you have the ability to continue your fight, and we want to get it out there as much as we can.”
Cook said Bosom Buddies needs volunteers and are always taking donations.
When it comes to treatment, medical professionals are stressing consistent screenings earlier in women. The National Cancer Institute showing breast cancer rates increasing in women ages 40 to 49.
Those rates increasing two percent per year on average from 2015 to 2019, the institute said. Current recommendations say women should start screening at age of 40.
Dr. Ingrid Lizarraga said. breast cancer is the most common cancer detected in women and being checked is a must.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have risk factors for breast cancer, just being a woman is enough of a risk factor," Lizarraga said. "We know that the survival for breast cancer is much better when it’s detected early. That’s what screening studies do. They detect the cancer before it becomes symptomatic.”
Samantha said the chemo shrunk the softball size tumor. And she has an appointment on Nov. 8th to schedule her final scan to find out her final results. Until then, Samantha is taking hormone therapy and battling neuropathy while recovering.
WE ❤ ARIZONA
Explore amAZing people, places and things across our state on our 12News YouTube playlist here.