Before getting her breast cancer diagnosis, Marissa M. was always moving.
A special education teacher from Brookville, Ohio, Marissa worked with children with moderate to intensive disabilities. She also planned dances, assemblies, and other events at her school, which happened to be her alma mater.
"It was just 24/7," she says. "It was like I was 'Super Teacher.' I was like the teacher who drank maybe 20 cups of coffee a day. That's how much energy I had and what I was doing constantly with the kids.
"And, then, I got slapped with cancer across the face. It was just out of nowhere, (out of) left field, just ‘Bam!’ And my whole world just came crashing down."
While doing a breast self-exam in June 2023, Marissa felt a lump on her left breast. She went for a biopsy in Youngstown, Ohio, near her home, and received a diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive type of breast cancer. It can be harder to treat and often has a worse prognosis.
Marissa was just 33 years old at the time of her diagnosis and was stunned.
“I was very negative," says Marissa, who is married with a young son and three dogs. "I wasn't in this good headspace. It was really, really bad because I was like, ‘This is just going to kill me. I'm going to be done. How do you come back from this?’”
Another young woman from Brookville had died from triple-negative breast cancer several years before Marissa's diagnosis. The woman's father called Marissa shortly after Marissa's diagnosis. He told Marissa to think of cancer not as a battle, but as a competition.
"As soon as he said that to me, my mindset totally flipped. I love that because I'm a runner, a basketball player. And when you hear those words, that puts it in (perspective): I’m competing against myself right now.
"I’m competing for my life. I’m not battling for my life."
Marissa came to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Horizon in Farrell, Pa., shortly after her diagnosis. Her father works at the hospital.
Marissa's oncologist, William Spielvogle, MD, started her on chemotherapy quickly. She had her port installed on July 19, 2023: her ninth wedding anniversary.
Determined not to let her cancer and cancer treatment define her, Marissa cut off her hair before her treatment began. Every week, she would come to chemotherapy with a new hairstyle.
"I was like, ‘I never really got to be bald and never really got to shave the side of my head, so I’m going to try this out and see how it goes,'" she says.
Because of her aggressive cancer, Marissa's treatment was aggressive. But she says her family supported her on every step of her journey. When she felt low, her UPMC Hillman team helped lift her spirits.
"At the Hillman Center in Farrell, they make something that you think would be a very sad and negative place be one of the happiest places in the world," Marissa says. "When you walk in there, all the nurses are all smiles. They're happy, they listen to you, they're supportive."
She says she also met many people in the community who were cancer survivors and provided encouragement.
After her chemotherapy, Marissa had a mastectomy in Youngstown in January 2024. She switched to a plant-based diet and began working with a trainer before her surgery to help her prognosis. She lost nearly 40 pounds before the procedure.
In early February, her surgeon called with good news: She had a complete pathologic response, meaning there were no signs of cancer after her treatment.
After surgery, Marissa underwent radiation therapy at UPMC Hillman. The treatment aimed to kill any cancer cells that may have been remaining.
Even after her cancer treatment, Marissa had another health scare when she developed a rare heart complication from one of her immunotherapy drugs. The drug elevated her troponin levels, leading to a diagnosis of myocarditis. Treatment at UPMC helped her through the process, and she is now healthy.
"In my life, maybe I haven't had the best people around me at all times," Marissa says. "But during this time, as dark as it has been, I've had the best people. The best, the best people, and it's been amazing."
Ever an educator, Marissa is using her experience to help teach others. She encourages women to learn how to do breast self-exams and get screenings when recommended.
She also encourages women to learn about genetic testing. After her diagnosis, Marissa learned she had a mutation in her PALB2 gene. PALB2 mutations can increase the risk for breast and other cancers.
Marissa formed an organization called Marissa's Militia, which raised money for a cancer walk near her home. She eventually hopes to go to schools to teach students about the importance of self-exams. She also wants to turn Marissa's Militia into a nonprofit to help pay for genetic testing.
“I want to arm people with knowledge because knowledge is power, and power leads to making change and choices," Marissa says. "We just can't take that knowledge and hold on to it. You need to do something with it, and this is how I’m going to do it."
Marissa’s treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
