Shannon Coates was training for her eighth Manitoba Marathon in June of 2022 when she noticed a change in one of her breasts.
She thought her sports bra could be to blame.
Not one to roll the dice, she went to her family doctor to get it checked out.
“My family doctor knew well the extensive history I had with breast cancer,” she said.
Her mother, aunt and grandmother’s sister were all diagnosed with the disease, so her doctor thought it best to send her for her first mammogram.
Days later, Coates was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
She underwent treatment, and is now happy to call herself a cancer survivor.
Still, she can’t help but wonder what would have happened if her three previous requests for screening in her 30s and 40s would have been granted.
“I was continuously denied mammograms and screenings. They kept on telling me I was too young. You’re not too young to …