When she visited Washington D.C. for a very special birthday celebration with her then-boyfriend, Montclair resident Chiara D'Agostino had no idea her entire world was about to go off-axis.
"I was in D.C. with boyfriend, going to dinner, and I put my hand across my chest and found a large lump," she said.
"I panicked. I immediately called the doctor and on that Monday went in and did another mammogram, but even in that mammogram they could not find the large lump."
D'Agostino had been getting mammograms since the age of 40, and has dense breasts. If you haven't been following the often confusing news about mammograms, traditional mammograms so not always catch abnormalities in dense breasts, but luckily, this year many centers offer 3-D mammograms, which do offer a more in-depth view of breast tissue.
After an MRI, this devastated woman found out she had yet another lump, and had Stage 2 breast cancer. When she had chemotherapy, it was already at Stage 3.
With a 34% rate of recurrence in first five years, she also knew, after her first breast was removed, that she was looking at tough odds.
So, once her first removed breast healed from an infection, she decided to make the ultimate and possibly life-saving sacrifice: to have a double mastectomy.
"I had planned to do one side one at a time, since one was so infected," she explained. "I also may have needed radiation, and my unaffected breast could take longer to heal and may impact my time to get radiation. So, I
did not do radiation. I decided to do a double mastectomy."
In honor of her decision, and to support women who have also faced cancer, she is hosting a "Boob Bye" party Monday, November 16 in Montclair, at Bangz Salon and Wellness Spa.
"They donated the space to me to help out," said D'Agostino. "They are very generous. I want to be with family and friends, since my mastectomy is the next day. But I also want to have this event open to the community, which I feel is important."
As a gorgeous woman with strong vision, expect this "Boob Bye" party to be the beginning of something new for others.
Turns out being independent and strong isn't just a slogan for D'Agostino, but instead a lifestyle.
"My boyfriend broke up with me and kicked me out of the house when I still had drains in my body," she explained. "Now, I want to advocate two things: know your breast density and check yourself, and remember: not everybody is there for you when you have cancer."
Updates to follow.
This event is free and open to the public.
Bangz Salon and Wellness Spa is located at 23 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey.
