Though Breast Cancer Awareness Month has come to a close, we continue to honor those who have fought this battle —and those who are still fighting— by sharing their stories. Army spouse Lorelei Colbert is a breast cancer survivor who fought to receive care, and now uses her voice to encourage others to be their own health advocate while promoting awareness, bravery and hope.
Dismissals, decisions and a diagnosis
In 2020, the world was Lorelei’s oyster. Just 28 years old, recently married, and with military orders to Japan, she began the process of medical clearing to move overseas. During her routine physical, the doctor suggested skipping the breast exam due to Lorelei’s young age and the lack of genetic dispositions from previous genetic testing results. First deferring to her doctor’s medical guidance, Lorelei and a compassionate nurse named Adriana were talking when Adriana quietly questioned the decision to not pursue the exam. “Something in my gut said this woman is in my life for a reason,” says Lorelei. At Adriana’s urging, she decided to request the full medical exam.
It was a life-saving decision. A lump was found, perfectly positioned to hide unless her arm was raised. However, even after the lump was discovered, doctors dismissed her concerns and even laughed at the idea that she could be sick so young. Lorelei was told to wait two weeks before scheduling an ultrasound; she ignored that advice and waited only until she walked to the parking lot from the exam room. When that ultrasound determined that the lump seemed “mostly benign,” they recommended Lorelei get a biopsy in six months. Refusing to be pushed to the side, she took control of her medical care and advocated for timely appointments. “[My gut told me] I need to take action for myself, and make sure that I am doing what I need to do. A lot of people don’t realize that the ball is in your court when you are taking on a health crisis,” she explains. Lorelei got a biopsy two weeks after the ultrasound, and was then diagnosed with Stage 2B Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). TNBC is an aggressive cancer that represents only 15% of all breast cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.
“I will say from the military spouse perspective, so many times we think of our spouse as the one who can have danger or health issues, but experiencing this made me realize that the spouse is also going through our own journey and as much as we have the resilience and the grit to tackle military spouse life, we need to be strong to prioritize our health so that way we can keep showing up and be the best person we can be,” she declares.
Saving lives by sharing stories
Lorelei dove into research following her diagnosis. She learned that breast cancer has many types and subtypes, and can present in myriad ways, such as a rash, skin dimpling, or even a lump in the armpit. “I try to raise awareness that breast cancer is more than one pink ribbon,” she says. Lorelei is now cancer-free after a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy, and she is determined to help other women by educating audiences on the importance of self-breast exams while encouraging medical advocacy. “I really carry that awareness component in my heart, so when I transitioned from active treatment into survivorship, I felt called to keep sharing my story,” she goes on. “I really feel like by sharing our stories, we can save lives. I believe that vulnerability is a strength because it helps empower other women to use their voice.”
Lorelei stresses that breast cancer is not restricted to a specific age range. “I share my story because breast cancer can happen before 40. Even though it’s not as likely, our prognosis sometimes can be worse because we’re not catching it as early, or we don’t want to believe it’s cancer so we catch it but we don’t do anything about it.” She tells of her own grandmother, who passed away from ovarian cancer when Lorelei’s mother was only 12. “I share my story because I think there are women who need more time, more love, more kisses.”
A mantra for all
During Lorelei’s treatment, survivre —which means “on to live”— became her mantra. She explains that survivre is “the bravery to keep going forward despite whatever hardship you’re facing.” It has become a movement that encourages community, hope, and kindness during difficult times in life, a call to action to find the beauty within adversity.
In addition to being a breast cancer survivor, public speaker, and advocate, Lorelei is now also the proud mother of “miracle boy” Adrian—named after Nurse Adriana who saved her life by encouraging a simple breast exam.
Survivre indeed.