At Broward Health, a routine screening led to an unexpected stage 3B diagnosis—and a treatment journey that helped this mother of four take back control of her life.
October 1, 2026 – When Amanda Marchant turned 40 years old in 2025, she did what millions of women do every year, she scheduled her first mammogram, treating it like any other routine wellness visit.
With no family history, lump, pain or symptoms, the North Lauderdale resident assumed the callback for an ultrasound was simply due to dense breast tissue, a common and usually benign occurrence seen in 40% to 50% of women.
Marchant had just gotten married and was looking forward to starting her new life with her husband when a MyChart notification changed everything. She looked up the terminology in the report and a few moments later a nurse called to confirm the news: she had stage 3B, hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.
“I remember calling my husband and crying for about 20 minutes. Then I hung up, prayed about it and never cried again,” Marchant said. “I decided that I was not going to let cancer get me down, I was going to do whatever I needed to do to be there for my children.”
What had started as a routine step in her preventative care had become the thing that saved her life.
“That type of breast cancer is aggressive, and by the time symptoms appear, it’s often already advanced,” said Shannon Keating, D.O., a hematologist oncologist with the Broward Health Physician Group. “Amanda’s case is exactly why we recommend annual mammograms starting at 40. This was caught through standard screening, before she ever felt anything wrong.”
Her treatment journey has since been extensive. Marchant completed six rounds of chemotherapy, administered every three weeks, finishing in March. She experienced many of the side effects associated with treatment, including significant fatigue, mouth sores, vision changes, dry skin, gastrointestinal issues, hair loss and nail changes, along with insomnia and medically induced menopause, which included hot flashes.
After she finished chemotherapy, Marchant underwent surgery, a tissue-reserving lumpectomy and removal of two lymph nodes in June. She continues immunotherapy infusions every three weeks as part of her ongoing treatment.
Despite everything she has gone through, Marchant never stopped working. The mother of four boys was also constantly on the go between golf, basketball, theater and soccer practices, so letting cancer control her life just wasn’t part of the plan.
“I’m a mom, I’m a wife, I work. I don’t have time to have cancer,” Marchant said. “After I got diagnosed, someone told me that cancer is primarily a mind game. So, that was my mentality: just keep pushing forward.”
Before her diagnosis, Marchant understood why some women might think, “I’m only 40, I don’t need a mammogram yet,” or worry that the screening will be painful or uncomfortable. After her experience, her message is very different: “the earlier the better.”
Now 41, Marchant is one year removed from her breast cancer diagnosis and experience, but she remains an advocate for life. She has since encouraged all the women she works with to get screened and says that they did.
“As moms, we’re always putting everyone else first and it can be easy to put our own health on the back burner,” Marchant said. “If I can help at least one woman considering delaying their screenings out of fear, discomfort, time, energy or any other excuse, every vulnerable part of telling my story is worth it.”
Marchant credits much of her strength throughout treatment to the care team behind her, particularly Dr. Keating, whose own perspective as a woman and a mother made a lasting impression.
“Dr. Keating is a mom herself, and I could feel that she truly got what I was going through, not just the medicine, but the fear and the toll it takes on your family,” Marchant said. “Having a doctor who understands that on a personal level made this entire journey so much easier to carry.”
Marchant’s story is a powerful reminder that a person can do everything right—eat well, exercise and keep up with preventative care—and still be diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s exactly why annual mammograms, starting at the recommended age of 40 for women without heightened risk, matter so much.
For more information about Broward Health’s cancer services, visit BrowardHealth.org/BeatCancer.
