Looking toward the future
New mother persevered through cancer treatment
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Rachel Strange was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer during the third trimester of her pregnancy with her daughter. - Photo submitted
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- Photo submitted
In 2023, while 33 weeks pregnant, West Knoxville resident Rachel Strange noticed a lump in one of her breasts while getting dressed.
“I just happened to feel it — I wasn’t doing a self-examination or trying to feel for it at all,” said Strange, who was only 33 years old at the time. “I was also too young for mammograms so, to be honest, I wasn’t freaking out or anything much at first because your body goes through so many different things when you’re pregnant anyway.”
In fact, at a routine OB-GYN appointment later that day, Strange was told the lump could very well be a result of hormonal changes during pregnancy.
“They said it’s kind of weird but could be normal, and to just keep an eye on it,” she said.
However, at her next appointment a few weeks later, Strange mentioned that the lump had not gone away yet, causing her prenatal care team to swiftly take action.
“Luckily for me, they said that they don’t mess around with a lump and sent me down for a mammogram and ultrasound,” Strange said. “And things went pretty quickly from there.”
Strange soon was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer but, seeing as she was in her third trimester, she was unable to begin treatment until after her daughter was born.
“So they brought her early—at 36 weeks—and I started treatment three weeks later,” she said.
Strange’s treatment began with 16 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery, radiation and oral chemo — a long and difficult experience for anyone, let alone a new mother. Yet, even in the most trying times, she was committed to remaining positive.
“I never had a newborn without undergoing chemo, so I didn’t know the difference,” Strange explained. “Like, I was tired but all newborn mothers talk about being tired. Obviously it wasn’t what my idea of early motherhood was or what I expected my early motherhood to look like, but we made the best of it.”
After all, for Strange, her daughter has always been her reason for hope, especially during treatment.
“I just kept looking toward the future and everything that I would get to experience with my daughter,” she said. “And I’d say I had some pretty good motivation to get through it.”
Having completed her last treatment in May of 2025, Strange now is learning to navigate the challenges of life after cancer.
“It’s almost more difficult after you’re finished with treatment,” she said. “Things don’t just go back to normal because everything has changed. And you still have appointments all the time; you’re still nervous and having scans, and it doesn’t just stop like that.”
This is why getting involved with a local organization such as Breast Connect can be so invaluable, Strange said.
“That’s where you will meet some of the best people that are in the worst club,” she said of Breast Connect’s private Facebook group. “Getting advice and just hearing from others that are in the same situation as you is really helpful.”
