A Survivor’s Story: Dikla Benzeevi

• On being diagnosed at age 32: "Cancer doesn't care how old you are. I know women who were 16 or 24 when diagnosed. It happens at every age."
• Her source of support: The network she founded for young women with breast cancer
• What's she's learned since her diagnosis: "To differentiate what's important in life," she says. "I try to do things that bring me joy and fulfillment, like spending more time with family."
• Advice to women under 40 with breast cancer: Don't go it alone. "The Young Survival Coalition is a great resource," she says. "Call them to speak with another young woman who has been diagnosed."
• On treatment for young patients: "Be assertive about your care, since breast cancer in young women sometimes doesn't follow the standard protocols. Seek out the best treatments, talk to other women and do your own research to see what's best for you."
• Nominated to be a Lifetime TV breast cancer hero by: Young Survival Coalition

Two things about my breast cancer diagnosis surprised me. The first shock was getting cancer at such a young age — I was only 32. Second, I couldn't believe how hard it was to find other young women with the disease.

I never thought that I'd escape breast cancer, since my mother and her sister both died from it, but I'd planned to focus on my breasts when I turned 40. Eight years before that milestone birthday, my gynecologist felt a lump during my annual exam. She wasn't concerned about cancer because of my age but had me get it checked anyway.

When I learned that my results were malignant, everything changed. Suddenly, my typical, single-girl lifestyle became a whirlwind of doctor visits. Oncologists. Surgeons. Breast centers. Bone scans. I'd always been healthy, so everything was unfamiliar. I was told that I had stage 3 breast cancer and needed chemo, radiation and surgery.

As I bounced from one appointment to another, I sought other young patients to talk to, but no doctors, support groups or hotlines could connect me with anyone my age. I was angry that I felt so isolated. After all, 250,000 survivors nationwide were diagnosed before age 40, and I live in heavily populated Los Angeles! Eventually, I found the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) online. Their website teemed with survivor stories, and it was wonderful to read others' experiences.

Soon afterward, I decided to attend YSC's annual conference in Philadelphia. I mingled with hundreds of women just like me and even met two women from L.A., which was maddening — we have self-help groups for everything here, but I had to fly 3,000 miles to meet young survivors from my hometown! I vowed to create a support network in California so no one else would feel as alone as I had.

While doing advocacy work for YSC, I started connecting with West-Coast young survivors by word of mouth. I also finished my cancer treatment, but a few months later, I learned that the cancer had metastasized to my spine. Luckily I'd created enough of a network to know other stage 4 women to talk to, which really helped. I'm in the process of obtaining nonprofit status for my group so more women can benefit from my network.

I still work closely with YSC, and every year I bring a group from the West Coast to their conference, all expenses paid. It's powerful for them to be surrounded by so many women sharing the same experiences.

I beat the tumor in my spine in 2005, but a few weeks ago, I learned that the cancer metastasized to my lungs. As I anticipate another round of treatment, I'm comforted knowing that I have a wonderful network of women to help me through.