CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - For many women, the first nudge comes from their gynecologist when they’re approaching 40 –time to schedule that first mammogram. This story isn’t about routine screening, but it is about one very young woman’s cancer journey. And you’ll see, this comes with a little dose of divine intervention.
“The Monday after Thanksgiving – I had just turned 30 – my gyno said she found a lump I should probably get checked out.”
That may be the current headline of Brittany Yokley’s story, but it isn’t her whole story.
This trained dancer moved from the Big Apple to Charlotte in 2016, got married, got a new job in 2021. The new job meant new insurance, which meant a new schedule for annual appointments, two months earlier than before.
“I was diagnosed before – if I had stayed with my last company – it’s a lot to think about,” she said.
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Then came the rush for more scans and a biopsy.
“At that point, they said, ‘This isn’t going to be the news you thought it was going to be.’”
It was triple-positive breast cancer.
“Being triple positive meant I was going to have chemo, it meant that people would know I was sick and that was – it wasn’t harder than the day of the mammo – but it was harder than I wouldn’t be able to go through this process and have no one else be aware of it.”
What has followed has been 18 months of treatment – chemo and radiation. Occupational therapy when she was having range of motion issues during radiation. It was therapist Brittany Lorden who told her now-friend Brittany about the work funded by the annual 24 Hours of Booty walking and cycling event in Charlotte.
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“I don’t think people fully grasp the extent locally what 24 Foundation does. I’m in it every day, on the seventh floor of Levine Cancer Institute.”
Donations to 24 Foundation fund the types of programs insurance won’t always cover – programs that help someone navigate and survive their diagnosis.
“I think the key term here is quality of life,” said Yokley. This year’s walk and ride happens two weeks after Brittany’s final treatment in July.
“I will be here the full 24 hours – we’re camping out.”
This firecracker of a woman formed a walking team with friends, family and coworkers.
“I feel like I have been so supported through this journey,” she said. “It’s just been incredible and there aren’t enough thank yous in the world to share with people how much I appreciate their support.”
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