According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. About one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer throughout their lifetime.
While Renee Lesueur, a 61-year-old Billings woman, believes her story is simpler than most breast cancer survivors, she's now an advocate for early screenings and testing, after she spent the past year battling stage 2 HER2-positive breast cancer, which accounts for about 20% of breast cancer diagnoses, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Learn how breast cancer changed Lesueur's outlook on life in the video below:
"It turned out to be the best possible way it could've worked out for me," said Lesueur on Friday.
Lesueur has been undergoing regular mammogram screenings since she was 40 years old. During a regular screening a few years ago, staff at the St. Vincent Breast Center in Billings discovered three small calcifications in Lesueur's right breast. Lesueur said after that discovery, she began getting regular mammograms every six months.
"I didn't think anything of it because they said it was actually a kind of (standard) issue," she said.
According to Dr. Kalie Adler, a breast imaging specialist at the breast center, small buildups of calcium in the breasts are fairly common.
"Calcifications are really a byproduct of proliferative change in the breast," Adler said.
According to Adler, in February, Lesueur came into the breast center for her regular six month mammogram, but the tests revealed that one of the calcifications had disappeared. Adler said after further investigation with an MRI and a biopsy, a cancerous tumor was hidden in Lesueur's right breast.
"Usually we look for increases in calcifications, but the fact that one did disappear was enough for a biopsy," said Adler.
To Lesueur's surprise, she had a one centimeter HER2-positive tumor. Lesueur said she did not experience any symptoms or pain that made her believe she had any form of breast cancer.
"I was maddened, scared and cried, and did everything, because you know, the mind's a weird thing," said Lesueur. "That 'cancer' word is always... a tough one for me."
After the discovery, Lesueur, Adler, and staff at the breast center jumped into action to treat Lesueur's breast tumor.
Due to the small size of the tumor and Lesueur's positive estrogen and progesterone hormones, oncologists decided for her to undergo a lumpectomy and radiation to treat it. According to Adler, Lesueur's cancer was a rare one, as most women with breast cancer will have the HER2-negative gene receptor.
"In Renee's case, I'm very thankful that she had been getting regular screenings, because it makes it very easy for us to see any subtle changes," Adler said Friday.
"I'm super blessed, super grateful that this is how it turned out," Lesueur said. "I know this was a simpler journey than a lot of people go through."
Because the six month mammogram screenings led to the discovery of Lesueur's tumor, she's now an advocate for women to begin annual screenings as soon as they turn 40.
"Don't put it off and say, 'oh, I'll do it the next year,' or if they find something and say, 'come in every six months,' come in every six months. You know, because things can change," she said.
According to Adler, the recommended age for women to begin getting regular mammogram screenings is 40, although the recommended age may be earlier for some depending on risk factors or family history.
"I think Renee's a great example of, you know, being your own best advocate, and doing your routine screenings, whether it's a colonoscopy, a mammogram, a skin check," Adler said.
Although Lesueur is now breast cancer free, she takes medication each day to prevent the cancer from returning, as she has positive estrogen and progesterone receptors.
Lesueur looks back on 2025 with gratitude and a change of outlook on life. She said in all, her breast cancer experience altered her perspective on life for the better, regardless of the emotional turmoil she experienced throughout the process.
"The best outcome was just to know how precious life is and just enjoy every day. And, you know, none of us know what tomorrow holds. So, just go after all the things you want to do," she said.
To learn more information about breast health or to schedule a mammogram with Intermountain Health, please visit this link.
