Young mom "stunned" after early cancer screening leads to diagnosis
Michaela Del Barrio had always known that her family history of breast cancer meant she had a higher risk than most of being diagnosed with the disease.
In her 20s, doctors had told her she was too young to dwell on those concerns. However, after the birth of her second child, she began to worry more about her odds.
One day, during a standard doctor's appointment, Del Barrio asked her doctor if there were any options for her to start receiving mammograms early. Her physician directed her to Northwestern University's high-risk breast clinic. After a risk assessment, she had her first mammogram at 36 years old. The exam was clear but the clinic's assessment also allowed her to undergo a breast MRI.
"A week later, I got a call saying they had seen two suspicious masses in my left breast," Del Barrio said. "I was just stunned. I just didn't even know how to process that."
Del Barrio had an ultrasound and a biopsy. In mid-February, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She had never had any symptoms or felt a lump. Del Barrio said she still thinks "all the time" about what could have happened if she had not pushed to receive early screenings.
"You're doing all the steps to take care of your health and prioritize yourself. You don't expect to receive a call that you have cancer," Del Barrio said. "But now I think 'Thank goodness I did speak up for myself. Thank goodness I did it when I did it, and that I didn't wait.'"
"Throwing everything at it"
Del Barrio was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer that grows in the breast's milk ducts. It's the most common type of breast cancer, making up about 80% of breast cancer diagnoses, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Del Barrio's treatment started with surgery. Because the cancer had been caught early, it had not spread beyond her left breast, said her oncologist, Dr. Annabelle Veerapaneni. Del Barrio decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy to limit her odds of the cancer returning in the future. After the surgery was complete, an analysis of Del Barrio's tumors determined that she would likely benefit from chemotherapy.
"I was like, 'I'm young. I want to make sure I'm doing everything and throwing everything at it for it to not come back,'" Del Barrio said.
The mother of two started chemotherapy in the summer of 2025. She was supposed to receive four rounds of treatment but had to stop after three because she experienced a delayed allergic reaction that caused her to break out in hives.
"I know that she was very anxious about not receiving that final fourth cycle of treatment but I told her that the risk of exposure to that particular chemotherapy agent was too high based upon the clinical benefit," Veerapaneni said. "So we had a very long heart-to-heart about everything, and I gave her reassurance that she finished the majority of the planned chemotherapy, and she's recovered very, very well."
Diagnosing breast cancer early
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Women with an average risk of breast cancer are recommended to start receiving mammograms when they turn 40. Still, those at higher risk should start earlier, said Dr. Arif Kamal, an oncologist and the American Cancer Society's chief patient officer. Breast cancer is on the rise in women under 50, CBS News previously reported.
Kamal said patients need to be aware of their personal risk of cancer. That includes being aware of any family history of cancer and undergoing appropriate screenings.
"One in 10 women are not at average risk, and for them, they need a different plan," Kamal said.
That might mean early mammograms or breast MRIs, like it did for Del Barrio, or more frequent exams. It could also include genetic testing, Kamal said. Kamal recommended women begin speaking to their doctors in their mid-20s, and flag any family history of cancer to develop the best course of action.
Veerapaneni said she "shudders to think" how much worse Del Barrio's case could have been. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, early-stage invasive ductal carcinoma has a five-year survival rate of 99%, but that number falls as the disease spreads. The most advanced stage of the cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 32%.
"I really give Michaela a lot of credit for being self-aware and self-advocating," Veerapaneni said.
"One day at a time"
Del Barrio is currently undergoing an extended endocrine therapy treatment that involves a monthly injection and a daily pill that eliminates estrogen production in her body, Veerapaneni said. Del Barrio will stay on the regimen for 10 years because of how young she was when her cancer was diagnosed. The treatment will "significantly reduce" the risk of her cancer returning, Veerapaneni said.
Del Barrio will also undergo regular scans and long-term follow-up with Veerapaneni. She said she will also have reconstructive breast surgery at the end of the year.
"I always say, 'This part is not so bad.' I can be a good patient, and I can follow all the instructions, the medicine, and focus on the task at hand," Del Barrio said. "I just focus on it one day at a time."
Del Barrio said that hopefully life will become "more routine" after her reconstruction, and allow her space to process what she has been through in the past year.
"It's overwhelming. You get this life-changing diagnosis, but also, life just is completely normal at the same time," Del Barrio said. "I feel like I'm just managing another project in my life, which is cancer."
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