00:00She was told over and over again she was too young for breast cancer.
00:04But with a family history, Mikayla Delbarrio was persistent.
00:07Growing up, I knew it was always something that I wanted to mention whenever I had a new provider.
00:14And I always brought it up.
00:18So after the birth of her second child, Delbarrio brought it up again to her doctor.
00:23After she was referred to a high-risk doctor at the age of 35, she underwent an augmented MRI.
00:29A tool used specifically for high-risk patients.
00:32Her suspicions were accurate.
00:34The mother of two had cancer.
00:36I was completely shocked.
00:37I couldn't believe that.
00:41I think I felt I was doing all the things.
00:44Being very proactive about my health.
00:47Always making sure to mention my family history.
00:50Doing the risk assessment.
00:52I felt all these things I was doing in good measure.
00:55But not actually expecting to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer.
01:00I always advise patients that they should always be aware of their family history.
01:04And there is a breast cancer risk assessment tool that is utilized in a lot of the high-risk breast cancer clinics.
01:10Dr. Annabelle Verpanini is Delbarrio's doctor.
01:13She says her patient did everything right.
01:15What I think is really important for people to understand is that if you have a concern, make sure that you advocate for yourself and you follow up on those concerns.
01:23And then there's always an opportunity to seek medical attention.
01:29Delbarrio underwent a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy at Northwestern Medicine.
01:34Doctors say her prognosis is good.
01:36For Delbarrio, she feels sharing her story could save another woman's life.
01:39I think what is so important about sharing my story is because there aren't a lot of women that look like me in the waiting room.
01:49And the fact is one in eight women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
01:57Because at the end of the day, Delbarrio knows she has a lot to live for.
02:00I think I'm just so glad that I took a lot of initiative to get my risk assessment, to figure these things out, to have additional screenings.
02:11Because if I had waited until I was 40, I don't even know what would have happened.
02:16Straight Arrow News has provided breast cancer self-check tools on our website and mobile app.
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