"It's important to know that if you aren't settling well with what a provider tells you… then go find someone who is, because at the end of the day, you know yourself best and your body best," said 27-year-old Angela Ellis.
Get a second opinion.
That’s what Angela Ellis did. The doctor diagnosed her with an aggressive form of breast cancer called triple negative breast cancer.
In February 2023, the 27-year-old, who is Latina and a medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) felt a lump in her breast. So, she went to get it checked out.
“I had a provider who was being dismissive at first, didn't think this was something to be worried about,” Ellis said. “Because I was able to step up and say, 'Actually, no, I want something done, please get this out now.' I was able to find out that this was actually something more serious than what was thought of before.”
Ellis underwent a double mastectomy, reconstruction surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. All during her second year of med school. “Going through medical school is taxing itself and then you throw a cancer diagnosis on top of that. I mean, it's not easy,” she said.
Going into medical school, Ellis didn’t know what avenue within the field she wanted to pursue. Her cancer scare helped find that passion.
“I wanted to do something that would serve specifically underserved communities, specifically Hispanic and Latin communities, because I come from that community. And I've come to realize that maybe hematology oncology is a specialty that I want to pursue after undergoing through treatment. I felt like, being someone who had been going through it, was able to give a level of care and empathy that other providers were not able to give,” she said.
She hopes her story will encourage others to seek a second opinion.
“People look to doctors as hope and they take their suggestions as word a lot of the times. And so it's important to know that if you aren't settling well with what a provider tells you… then go find someone who is, because at the end of the day, you know yourself best and your body best.”
Following med school, Ellis will serve four years in the Navy as a lieutenant and physician. She is currently in remission.
