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24-year-old woman continues fight against breast cancer

Posted at 5:26 PM, Jul 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-08 20:45:35-04

At 24-years-old, Savanah Ponce has already accomplished so much.

She's a college graduate with a bright future ahead, but that's been put on hold by a recent diagnosis.

"I found a lump and at that point, it had already spread to a lymph node that they could see at the time," Ponce said.

On May 1, Ponce was told that she has stage III Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), a form of breast cancer.

"Right now I'm just kind of getting prepared for treatment. I've already had my bilateral mastectomy," Ponce said.

Last week, Ponce's doctors told her that her cancer has spread. She now has a tumor in her lung and several in her liver. 

She started her first round of chemotherapy on Friday. She will continue this treatment weekly for the next six months.

"It's hard. I have a lot of support so that helps a lot, more than people know," Ponce said. "It keeps me strong."

"She's very strong and I know she's going to get through it," said Nancy Kinnear, Ponce's mother. "I have no doubts, it's just going to make her a better person."

Ponce's friends are selling decals, shirts and bracelets to cover her treatment costs. There's also a GoFundMe account that's raised more than $4,000.

"It has helped," Ponce said. "People have stepped up that I barely know."

For the people who have known Ponce for years, know this diagnosis won't be enough to dim her light.

"Her smile keeps us strong," Kinnear said. "She continues to smile through it."

"Everybody makes sure I'm strong," Ponce said. "They let me have my hard days and then I can keep moving forward and stay positive through it all."

The Susan G. Komen organization reports that older women are more at risk to get breast cancer. Fewer than five percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 40. 

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