After her sister and grandma were diagnosed with breast cancer, Susie O’Brien got annual mammograms that confirmed she was cancer-free until 2010, when her mammogram revealed that she had stage three breast cancer. Shocked by this sudden onset of advanced cancer, Susie and her three children, Tom, Kelsey and Dan, did not know what to do. “The uncertainty and fear left our family feeling helpless,” Kelsey later wrote. Susie researched her options and decided to receive her care at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). In 2011, Doreen Agnese, MD, performed Susie’s double mastectomy and removed several lymph nodes.  Susie remembers her conversation with Dr. Agnese post-surgery. She was nervous to see her scar for the first time, but Dr. Agnese sat next to her to comfort her. “It’s not that scary,” the doctor said as they looked together at the scar. Chemotherapy treatment quickly began, and Susie visited Hope’s Boutique. Located on the first floor of The Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, this full-service retail boutique centralized many of Susie’s needs, including wigs, breast fittings, clothes and makeup. The women there fitted Susie for a wig during her first week of chemo, before she began losing her hair, so that when the time came she’d be ready. Susie’s skin was burnt as a result of her radiation treatment. Michael Miller, MD, performed flap surgery at the OSUCCC – James, removing skin from Susie’s stomach and reforming it into new breast skin. Today, Susie is being treated at the OSUCCC – James for lymphedema, a chronic condition that impacts many breast cancer patients. Throughout her cancer journey, she has found continuous strength and inspiration from her kids, who are now in their early twenties. Realizing that breast cancer runs in her family, Susie supports breast cancer research in hopes that her daughter won’t have to someday fight the disease.    Join Susie in the support of cancer research at the OSUCCC – James.