Breast Cancer Survivor Advises: Don’t Put Off Screening
October 6, 2026
Shaneeza Mohamed has just two words for women putting off breast exams: Don’t wait.
Don’t wait to schedule your mammogram.
Don’t wait to do self-exams.
Don’t wait to have a lump checked out … even if you’ve had benign ones in the past and have no family history.
A Tiny Lump
Regular mammograms had been part of Shaneeza’s routine care for years. In the past, they had detected a couple of small lumps that were biopsied and found to be benign. Her December 2025 mammogram also showed no cause for concern.
Then, in April, Shaneeza felt a sharp pain under her left breast. As she rubbed the area, she discovered a pea-sized lump.
Over the next several weeks, she sought care and underwent additional imaging. A radiologist ultimately recommended a biopsy. Shaneeza wasn’t particularly worried. Her previous biopsies had been benign, and she had no family history of breast cancer.
A few days later, while attending a professional conference in Orlando, she received a notification that her test results were available.
“So, I opened it and … I just froze,” Shaneeza says. The mother, wife, HR professional, and 9/11 survivor doesn’t get rattled easily. “That was a hard day.”
Finding Her Care Team
After her diagnosis, Shaneeza confided in a friend at Polk State College, where she is pursuing a degree. Her friend recommended Vanessa Prowler, MD, a breast surgical oncologist at Tampa General Cancer Institute | Lakeland Regional Health Hollis Cancer Center.
That recommendation would connect Shaneeza with the team that would guide her through what came next. Shaneeza says, “I believe that if one is comfortable sharing, telling others about a diagnosis can be helpful since they may be able to recommend doctors or facilities you may not know otherwise.”
Dr. Prowler had the results of an MRI when Shaneeza saw her July 2. Dr. Prowler saw three spots and offered Shaneeza several options. “She didn’t hesitate to spell out what she was seeing,” Shaneeza says. “She made it clear what the best choices were and that a lumpectomy wasn’t a consideration.”
Shaneeza was comfortable with Dr. Prowler and scheduled a mastectomy with reconstruction for July 15. “I loved that she explained the type of cancer I had, what would work and what would not,” she says. “It was my choice, but she armed me with the information I needed.”
But over the July 4 weekend, she had a moment to catch her breath and decided to remove the other breast, also. She called Dr. Prowler’s office the following Tuesday and told them she wanted to have a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. “The staff was so good. Nothing fazes them,” she says.
She was floored, however, when Dr. Prowler called her back that evening as she drove home. She confirmed she would reschedule the surgery.
Dr. Prowler worked side by side with breast surgeon Dr. Eve Paxton to perform the bilateral surgery July 23. “I appreciated that she and Dr. Paxton worked simultaneously to avoid me being under anesthesia too long,” Shaneeza says.
It’s All About Timing
She is grateful she found the lump when she did and that things have moved quickly since she met with Dr. Prowler. She does regret not doing regular self-exams and says she encourages women to make them a priority.
“Every woman should be getting annual mammograms, starting no later than age 40,” says Dr. Prowler. “Knowing your ‘normal’ is important so you can alert your provider if something feels abnormal or different.”
Dr. Prowler stresses that it’s essential, not selfish, for women to put their health first. “Women often spend so much time caring for others that we forget to care for ourselves,” she says. “Make time for yourself, listen to your body, and put your well-being first.”
Although Shaneeza knows that cancer is not always predictable and can occur randomly, the what-ifs tug at her:
- What if early delays allowed the cancer to spread?
- What if she had disregarded the initial sharp pain? “I never felt anything else, even after I knew I had breast cancer,” she says.
- What if she had not discovered the cancer until her annual mammogram? She was not due for one until December.
- And since she worked on Wall Street on 9/11, what if she was exposed to something that contributed to her illness?
However, “it seemed like things kept coming up that put me back on track,” she says.
She expects to finish radiation in October, then have reconstruction surgery. She is grateful for the support of her family, friends, and the team at TGH Cancer Institute | LRH Hollis Cancer Center.
“You just have to have faith that it will be fine,” she says. “Even with all that I have been through, I am OK.”
Breast Care
Finding breast cancer early gives you more treatment choices. Talk to your OB-GYN or primary care provider about scheduling your mammogram.