Published: September 23, 2026
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Tia Mitchell is full of energy. Her laugh fills a room, and her passion for helping other women is contagious.
Behind Tia’s bright spirit is a story that started with fear, hesitation and a decision that ultimately saved her life.
Tia first felt a lump in her left breast, but she didn’t want to think about what it could mean.
“I noticed a lump in my left breast, and I really didn’t realize it might be cancer,” Tia said. “I just assumed it was something harmless.”
There was no history of breast cancer in her family, so she did what many women do when they’re afraid: She hoped it would go away on its own.
“I just ignored it, because if it really was the ‘C word,’ I didn’t want to face it,” she said. “I wanted it to just go away.”
It’s a common reaction, and it’s one of the biggest reasons breast cancer often isn’t caught early.
By May, the lump was still there. Tia already had a checkup scheduled at a new doctor’s office, but the appointment wasn’t until July. She knew she couldn’t wait that long.
She called her husband’s doctor’s office, hoping to get to an appointment more quickly. She scheduled what she told them would be a routine visit, not a breast health check. During her appointment, she went through the full, new-patient intake and didn’t mention the lump once.
“I was about to leave with knots in my stomach, because I didn’t want to find out that I could possibly have any type of breast cancer,” Tia said.
Then her doctor asked one simple question: Is there anything else?
“In that moment, I knew that God was speaking to me, and that this was a now-or-never, change-my-life situation,” Tia said. “So, I turned to the doctor with a quiet voice and said, ‘I have a lump in my breast.’ She said, ‘Can you repeat that again?’ And I said a little louder, ‘I have a lump in my breast.’ And she said, ‘OK, let’s check it out.’”
Her doctor examined the lump immediately and scheduled Tia for a mammogram that same day.
“I told her that I could call and make the appointment, and she said, ‘No worries, my office is doing it for you,’” Tia said. “That was such a relief.”
What followed was a series of mammograms, a breast biopsy and CT scans. She underwent receptor testing — a procedure performed on a sample of cancer cells from the tumor (usually from a breast biopsy) to check for specific protein receptors on the cell surface. This test looks for breast cancer hormones like estrogen and progesterone, or growth proteins like HER2. This test reveals if natural body signals fuel the cancer cells, guiding doctors to select targeted hormone or drug therapies.
In May 2025, Tia was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, Grade 3.
Tia met with her surgeon, C. Matthew Brown, M.D., general surgeon and breast surgeon with Norton Surgical Specialists – Breast Health. Together they built a personalized treatment plan. Her options included a lumpectomy, mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction, along with removal of lymph nodes to check whether the cancer had spread.
“I chose the mastectomy without breast reconstruction,” Tia said.
Mastectomy without reconstruction offers many benefits, including a shorter recovery and healing time and easier breast cancer recurrence monitoring. Despite that, recovery wasn’t easy.
Tia’s faith kept her going through this difficult time.
“Recovery for me was a long process,” Tia said. “But God walked with me through it all.”
Tia’s cancer — invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) — is the most common type of breast cancer diagnosis and accounts for about 80% of all cases of breast cancer.
IDC means the cancer cells are growing in the milk ducts of the breast. Breast cancer stages refer to how far the cancer cells have spread beyond the ducts. Grade — in Tia’s case, Grade 3 — refers to what the cells look like under a microscope and how aggressively they multiply.
It can be easy to dismiss symptoms at first: a lump, a change in breast texture or a spot that just doesn’t feel right. Left unchecked, though, those small changes can turn into something much bigger.
Tia’s noticeable symptom was the lump, but other ICD symptoms can include:
It’s important to remember that not all lumps or changes in the breast mean someone has breast cancer. It is important to keep up with your annual physical exams, including breast health and mammograms.
Even if you don’t have a family history of breast cancer, you still could be at risk. Take the breast health risk assessment.
Today, Tia is passionate about encouraging other women to stay on top of their breast health and get their mammograms, rather than waiting the way she did.
“This season in my life has been not without challenges, but has reminded me just how precious life is, and every moment counts,” Tia said. “Live your best life and enjoy every moment that you are given.”
Tia’s story is a powerful reminder that early detection saves lives. If you notice a lump, a change in your breast or anything that doesn’t feel right, don’t wait. Talk to your doctor and schedule a mammogram.