Winning the battle against breast cancer
September 29, 2025 – Defence Stories
Estimated read time – 2:15
By: MWO LaLena Brown-Lavigne, breast cancer survivor
A shocking diagnosis
Caption
MWO LaLena Brown-Lavigne stands with her two children on a fall day.
In 2016, I was 39, and a mother of two adopted children, ages six and seven. I was a long-distance runner and played on two recreational soccer leagues in Halifax. I was at the pinnacle of good health.
And then everything changed.
In February 2016, I discovered a small seedlike lump (less than 2 mm) in my breast during a self-exam, which immediately set off alarm bells. It was painless, hard, and moved with the breast tissue unlike a cyst. I told myself to check again the following month to see if it was still there, but my instincts told me it wasn’t normal.
Over the following three months, my job was busier than ever. It wasn’t until May that I finally decided to get checked. My healthcare provider said I needed a mammogram right away and the day after the mammogram, it seemed that my fears were confirmed—the cyst was now three centimeters in size. A biopsy then confirmed breast cancer, and I realized that I had waited longer than I should have to see my doctor.
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MWO Brown-Lavigne in 2019 where she was nominated as the Toronto Blue Jays honorary “bat girl” at the Mother’s Day Salute for being a CAF mother who survived breast cancer.
My cancer treatment journey
To begin my cancer treatment journey, a surgery to remove affected breast tissue and lymph nodes was booked for June. The test results from the surgery confirmed it was Stage II IDC triple positive (Estrogen, Progesterone and HER2 +), a more aggressive form of breast cancer. I underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, 20 rounds of radiation, 18 rounds of Herceptin therapy, and hormone therapy.
In 2021, I elected to undergo a double mastectomy with major complications, but I am still here, alive!
Recovery and resilience
This didn’t stop me from exercising though! For me, exercise was the only thing that gave me a sense of control during my cancer treatment. I continued to walk, run, and lift weights.
Running was an important part of my recovery. I ran the Run for the Cure 5k during chemotherapy and worked out after every radiation session until I acquired an infection that forced me to slow down. In January 2017, I returned to work and once I was strong enough, I started running more.
Caption
MWO Brown-Lavigne in 2019 where she was nominated as the Toronto Blue Jays honorary “bat girl” at the Mother’s Day Salute for being a CAF mother who survived breast cancer.
I trained with the port-a-catheter still in my chest, then ran the Navy 10K in Aug 2017, finishing first in my category.
I am grateful to my family, friends, and the CAF medical team for providing the care and support needed to win this battle.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death (after lung cancer) in Canadian women and people with breasts. Early detection through mammograms can increase treatment options, reduce complications, and improve survival.
Additional Resources:
- CAF cancer screening webpage for breast/chest cancer: Breast/Chest Cancer – Canada.ca
- Breast/chest cancer FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Cancer Screening – Canada.ca