#YWMBC: Kate

Name: Kate Fraser
Age: 41
Occupation: Stay at home Mommy, former professional figure skater with Disney on Ice
Age when diagnosed with breast cancer: 38
Breast cancer type: BRCA2 mutation and metastatic ER/PR positive, HER2 negative invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast. Liver, bone, and chest wall metastases.
Breast cancer stage: Stage 4
Treatment: Palliative care chemo

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that has nothing to do with cancer:

I was a professional figure skater with Disney on Ice, traveling the world for almost ten years before becoming a wife and mommy.

What’s your go-to pick-me-up song?

Grigio girls by lady Gaga

How did you discover your breast cancer?

I found my lump in my breast two years prior to my diagnosis. My former family doctor didn’t believe it could be cancer as I was too young as well as very fit and healthy.

What went through your head when you received your diagnosis?

I am going to die very soon. My kids are too young and will not remember me. My life is just starting…

What is the craziest thing someone said to you after being diagnosed with breast cancer?

That terminal cancer is like diabetes – you just have to take medicine for the rest of your life.

Who is your biggest source of support throughout your experience with cancer?

I often refer to them as my village. My husband and family of course, but my village is amazing. My village is a group of my friends whom I met through preschool with my kids. They understand how hard life is with kids, and know the struggles cancer puts on top of it all. They help me to still be normal mommy, not just a patient.

What is the most difficult part of being a young woman with breast ca

ncer?

So many things. Loss of my breasts with no reconstruction, loss of my youth and full blown menopause, just to name a few. But, for me the hardest part is knowing that no matter how much treatment I do or how healthy and clean I live, this will kill me one day soon.

What is something unexpected you learned about yourself as a result of having breast cancer?

That I have so much to give back to others. My voice and story can reach and help people whom I would have never met otherwise. I am one half of the What to Expect When You Aren’t Expecting Cancer cancer mommies. We are two moms with stage 4 cancer, talking about what it’s like to be young with cancer. I am also a lot stronger than I ever could have imagined.

In one sentence, what words of wisdom would you pass on to another young woman who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer?

You are not your disease. You are still you, so keep shining.    

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