Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Emma Yeager has been living her life 10 minutes at a time since February 2020, when she was diagnosed with stage two triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 32.

With two boys, aged two- and five-years-old at the time, she thought, “‘This can’t be happening.’ And then COVID happened, so that was another curveball. But my husband just told me, ‘Take it 10 minutes at a time.’” And so she did.

Emma was at high risk for breast cancer; she and her mother both tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation.

“I did genetic testing early on,” she shares. “My aunt had breast cancer twice. My mom is BRCA1 positive, and if your parent has it, you have a 50-50 chance of having it. My younger brother and I got tested when I was 25, and we are both positive.”

Afterward, Emma diligently had regular mammogram screenings and MRIs. A self-exam in early 2020, however, revealed a lump.

Emma, who is from Marietta, Ohio, chose The James because she “wanted the best care possible,” she says. “I went to the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, and they got me in immediately. I had my mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy all that same day, which was good because I didn’t have to wait.”

When she received her diagnosis, she says she felt panicked at first. “I was scared, especially seeing my aunt battle breast cancer twice. So, I took one day to just kind of wallow in self-pity,” she shares. And then a week later, she had her first appointment with oncologist Nicole Williams, MD. “I love her,” Emma says, “She is amazing! She gave me my plan and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ And I thought, ‘If you feel confident, I’m confident.’ So that’s how I went into it. Once I had that plan, so much weight was lifted off me.”

The plan called for 12 rounds of Taxol, once a week, and then incorporating Carboplatin every third week. Additionally, four treatments of AC (Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide) were administered every other week, ending in July. In August, Emma had a double mastectomy with reconstruction. “And that was it,” she says. “I didn't have radiation because (the cancer) was gone.”

What remained was her solid, loving support system.

“I was diagnosed weeks before COVID started. So, initially, I had all these people — friends, my aunt, my grandma. ‘We’ll take you this week, and we’ll take you this week,’ to make chemo appointments fun — well, as they can be — and not scary. Then COVID happened,” she recalls.

Living two hours away, her husband and mom took turns driving her to appointments. One would stay home with her sons and the other would drive, sitting in the car during her treatments. “But the nurses were wonderful,” she says. “They came in and checked on me all the time and would sit and talk with me for however long I needed them to.”

At home, Emma’s mom and husband were invaluable to her. “My husband took charge of the boys and was a caregiver for all three of us. He’s pretty remarkable.” Emma’s friends also called, FaceTimed and sent gifts, cards and flowers as much as they could.

The best day? Her last day of treatment, she says. Her husband planned a surprise with the staff, bringing in pom-poms. “Everyone knew it was my last treatment, so all the nurses came in (and) cheered and clapped and gave me a certificate,” she says, smiling. “As I was leaving, one of the nurse assistants said, ‘Bye, Miss Emma! See you later!’ And I said, ‘No, you won’t see me later!’ and everyone laughed. It was cathartic.”

Emma explains that The James offered a sense of hope and community when she needed it most. “I remember getting treatments and seeing women, hearing that it was their last treatment day, hearing the nurses cheer for them and thinking, ‘I’m going to be there, too. They did it. I can do it. We’re all going to do it.’”

“I’m hoping that maybe someone on her first or second treatment saw me on my last day and thought, ‘I’ll get through it. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll get through it because she did.’”

And Emma did it 10 minutes at a time, just like her husband said. Her advice: “If you’re just starting your journey, take it 10 minutes at a time. It’s hard, but we can do hard things,” she encourages. “You might think, ‘I feel terrible today, I don’t want to do this.’ But just take 10, then go on to the next. You can do it.”

Learn More

Emma discusses her cancer journey and her experience at the OSUCCC – James.