Benita's Story

A Biopsy Confirms a Lump is Breast Cancer

In December of 2000, Benita went in for her routine mammogram. Everything came back normal. But just two months later, something didn’t feel right. “I found a lump in February and my heart dropped,” she recalls. A biopsy revealed that Benita had breast cancer. “I was shocked. I was scared. A lot of uncertainties. What's going to happen? What's going to happen to my seven-year-old son? All those things started flashing in my mind.”

After the initial shock, Benita told her doctor that she wanted to receive her treatment at Moffitt. “I was adamant about coming to Moffitt. I wanted to go to the best place possible, where I would feel comfortable and where I would feel that I was getting the best treatment.”

Breast Cancer Treatment at Moffit Cancer Center

And the care she received when she got to Moffitt didn’t disappoint. “From the minute I walked in the door until I walked out of the door…I felt welcome. I felt like I mattered. I felt like I was a part of a family, actually. That gave me so much courage and so much confidence.”

Today, Benita is a registered respiratory therapist and a graduate student working toward her Master’s in social work. “I want to help patients with PTSD. Not only the military, but any kind of traumatic, life-altering or life-changing experience.” After the courage she showed during her own cancer experience, it’s difficult to imagine a more appropriate calling.