IU Health Arnett employee turned breast cancer survivor shares story

Story.

Julia (key-noy) keenoy was diagnosed with invasive ductile carcinoma last summer.

News 18's micah upshaw tells us how one quick decision may have saved her life.

M: for many women diagnosed with breast cancer, it's typically discovered during their annual mammogram.

For julia keenoy, that wasn't the case.

J: i was actually in between mammograms, i had had a mammogram and it was fine but i had not noticed a problem, an issue and so i wanted to get that checked out.

M: it was this decision to not ignore her body because she had just gotten a mammogram that she found out she had a small tumor growing.

J: it started in the milk ducts and has moved out of the milk ducts.

M: from diagnoses to the tumor removal, it was all done within the same month.

Keenoy has worked as a clinical cancer researcher for iu health arnett for several years.

But it's actually her family history that's made her more keen to examining her body and the changes that occur.

J: i do have a strong family history of breast cancer, my mom, her mom, my mom's sister, and...but it's one of those things, again i think most women, we think it's really not going to happen.

M: keenoy began getting mammograms around age 30 because of her family history but she encourages women, young and old, if you notice something don't ignore it.

J: get it checked out.

It's okay, if they come back and they tell you that it's fine that's great.

But if the is an issue then you'll know and you can work and deal with it and get the treatment that you need.

M: keenoy says her experience with cancer as patient and researcher has helped her see things full circle.

J: one of the things that i love about what i do is working with the patients and talking with patients and now i can really, truly, when they tell me something i can think to myself, i know exactly what you're going through.

M: reporting in lafayette, micah upshaw.

News 18.

This month, you can schedule and get a mammogram in the same day.

Iu health is offering this for women to honor breast cancer awareness month.

That information is on our website wlfi.com.