Como empresaria y celebridad, Guerdy Abraira mantenía su vida en marcha como uno de sus eventos meticulosamente planificados: reservada, ocupada y programada al minuto. Las mamografías anuales eran simplemente otra casilla para marcar. Se las hacía de forma rutinaria y, como la mayoría de las personas, se había acostumbrado a la tranquilidad que da el “Si no hay noticias, son buenas noticias”. En marzo de 2023, mientras estaba en St. Barts trabajando y “pasándola mejor que nunca”, sonó su teléfono con una llamada que no esperaba: su ginecólogo, llamando desde su celular. Nunca llamaba después de las pruebas. Antes de que él dijera una sola palabra, ella sumó a su esposo, Russell, a la conversación. El instinto le decía que este no era un seguimiento de rutina. En un instante, el futuro que había estado planificando “como si no hubiera un mañana” chocó de frente con una realidad para la que no había dejado espacio: el cáncer de mama.

Al principio, el diagnóstico parecía el “menor de los males”, como ella misma lo describiría más tarde. El mensaje que escuchó era tanto aterrador como extrañamente reconfortante: carcinoma ductal in situ (CDIS), a veces denominado estadio 0, temprano, contenido y tratable. “Pueden hacerte una pequeña tumorectomía y luego continuarás con tu vida” le dijeron. Incluso con ese panorama tan optimista, la palabra cáncer resonaba con más fuerza que cualquier mensaje de tranquilidad. No quería tener absolutamente nada que ver con eso.

Sin embargo, el cáncer casi nunca se ajusta a un guion previsible. Los estudios de seguimiento (biopsias, una resonancia magnética [RM], análisis de patología y pruebas genómicas) revelaron un panorama más complicado. Lo que comenzó como un CDIS evolucionó hacia un cáncer de mama invasivo con receptores de estrógeno positivos (ER+) en estadio 1B.

Su equipo médico actuó con rapidez, reuniendo “absolutamente todo” lo que pudiera explicar el comportamiento del tumor y cómo debía ser su tratamiento. Le ofrecieron una prueba que definiría el siguiente capítulo de su tratamiento: la prueba Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^®.

Abraira ha descrito la prueba Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score como una herramienta que te pone algo concreto enfrente cuando todo lo demás se siente incierto. La prueba analiza la biología del tumor para ayudar a calcular el riesgo de recurrencia a distancia y el posible beneficio de añadir quimioterapia a una terapia endocrina.1-6 Para una paciente que de repente se vio viviendo entre consultas, estudios de imágenes y un lenguaje médico desconocido, esta prueba le ofreció algo que sí podía entender: números, comparaciones y un panorama más claro de sus opciones. “Literalmente, es una prueba de matemáticas en papel”, dijo. “Solo tienes que seguir la fórmula de izquierda a derecha... y podrás ver exactamente a dónde te lleva tu camino”.

Pasó por la quimioterapia y la radiación, y compartió parte de este proceso públicamente; incluido el momento en que se rapó la cabeza y las conversaciones que tuvo con sus hijos sobre lo que estaba sucediendo. Según sus propias palabras, los efectos secundarios físicos eran solo una parte de la historia. Estaban la “neblina mental por la quimio”, la neuropatía y la agotadora acumulación de que “siempre pasaba algo”, tanto en el cuerpo como en la mente. Volver a “ser Guerdy otra vez” no fue algo inmediato; fue, como ella misma dijo, un proceso “lento y a fuego bajo”, como algo que cocinas con cuidado hasta que está listo. La experiencia forzó una pregunta que no había hecho antes: ¿Cómo es la nueva versión de Guerdy tras superar esta experiencia?

Cuando se la declaró libre de cáncer y en remisión más adelante en 2023, llegó el alivio junto con una nueva forma de vida. El cáncer le enseñó, confiesa ella, a ser humilde y a disfrutar del presente. La versión de sí misma que una vez funcionó con horarios rígidos aprendió a moverse por una métrica diferente: lo que su cuerpo necesita hoy. “Dejo que las cosas fluyan”, explicó. El descanso ya no es negociable. Si no se siente con ganas de hacer algo, se da permiso para parar. En su mente, eso no es rendirse; es escucharse.

Hoy, mantenerse bien es tanto un asunto médico como personal. Sigue el plan de vigilancia de su equipo de atención, incluidas las pruebas de diagnóstico por imágenes periódicas, a intervalos de seis meses (mamografía y ecografía) y RM, junto con el monitoreo de la densidad ósea. Como paciente ER+, toma anastrozol, lo que llama una “píldora de cinco años”, como terapia bloqueadora de hormonas, y trata el cumplimiento como parte de su compromiso con la vida que ha luchado por mantener. También trabaja a diario en las exigencias físicas de la supervivencia: caminar unas cinco millas al día, levantar pesas para proteger la densidad ósea y mantener el cuidado de su sistema linfático como una prioridad absoluta. Los masajes linfáticos, en la cara y el cuerpo, se han convertido en una forma de cuidado personal que se siente como una fisioterapia. A esto le suma ejercicios de respiración, una “desintoxicación mental” consciente y cualquier práctica restaurativa que la ayude a sentirse ella misma otra vez.

Algunos de sus nuevos rituales son tanto simbólicos como prácticos. Ha mantenido su corte de pelo corto, rapándose con regularidad como un recordatorio para “mantener la humildad, ser amable y concentrarse en ella”. Marca un límite entre quién era antes y quién está decidida a ser ahora: una mujer que antepone su salud, sin pedir disculpas. Lo llama su “era del yo”, una forma de reclamar tiempo, energía y atención después de una temporada en la que su cuerpo le exigió las tres cosas.

Ese cambio de perspectiva es también la razón por la que ella elige hablar de su camino contra el cáncer, y de la prueba Oncotype DX, en voz alta Como mujer haitiana criada en un hogar caribeño, ha hablado sobre cómo el cáncer puede conllevar un estigma en muchas comunidades, incluidas las culturas caribeña, africana y latina: se convierte en un tema tabú, algo que la gente sobrelleva en silencio, a veces sin siquiera nombrarlo. Abraira rechaza ese silencio. Cree que los pacientes no deberían tener que sufrir solos, y quiere que la gente sepa que la fe y la medicina pueden coexistir, “súmele la ciencia a la oración”, dice. En su opinión, estar informado no es opcional, es poder.

También habla de ello porque la prueba le dio algo poco común en el camino contra el cáncer: una sensación de control. Cuando te dan el diagnóstico, afirma ella, puede sentirse como si hubieran tomado el control de tu vida: por el miedo, por los términos médicos que no pediste aprender y por las decisiones que conllevan un peso enorme. La prueba Oncotype DX, para ella, se convirtió en una herramienta basada en la decisión que tradujo la incertidumbre en acción: comprender el riesgo, comprender el posible beneficio, elegir un camino. Su deseo es que otras personas, especialmente quienes quizás no sepan que existen este tipo de pruebas, hagan preguntas, se realicen las pruebas que les ofrezcan y defiendan su propia salud. Y continúa insistiendo en el punto que dio origen a todo: realizarse los estudios de detección. Esa mamografía que parecía de rutina fue el momento en que su vida cambió, y la razón por la que hoy está aquí para contar su historia.

As an entrepreneur and celebrity, Guerdy Abraira kept her life running like one of her meticulously planned events: booked, busy, and mapped out down to the minute. Annual mammograms were simply another box to check. She’d done them routinely and, like most people, had grown used to the quiet reassurance that comes with “no news.” Then, in March 2023, while she was in St. Barts working and “having the time of my life,” her phone rang with a call she didn’t expect—her gynecologist, calling from his cell. He never called after tests. Before he said a word, she patched her husband, Russell, into the conversation. Instinct told her this wasn’t a routine follow-up. In a moment, the future she’d been planning “like there was no tomorrow” collided with a reality she hadn’t made room for: breast cancer.

At first, the diagnosis sounded like the “least of all evils,” as she later described it. The message she heard was both terrifying and strangely comforting: ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), sometimes referred to as stage 0—early, contained, treatable. “You may have a little lumpectomy and then on with your life,” she was told. Even with that best‑case framing, the word cancer echoed louder than any reassurance. She didn’t want to be part of it at all.

But cancer rarely follows a neat script. Follow-up testing—biopsies, an MRI, pathology and genomic work—painted a more complicated picture. What began as DCIS evolved into stage 1B estrogen‑receptor‑positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer.

Her medical team moved quickly, gathering “everything and anything” that would explain what the tumor was doing and what her treatment needed to look like. She was offered a test that would shape the next chapter of her treatment, the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^® test.

Abraira has described the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test as a tool that puts something concrete in front of you when everything else feels uncertain. The test analyzes tumor biology to help estimate the risk of distant recurrence and the potential benefit of adding chemotherapy to an endocrine therapy.1-6 For a patient suddenly living inside appointments, scans, and unfamiliar medical language, it offered something she could understand: numbers, comparisons, and a clearer sense of her options. “It’s literally a math test on paper,” she said. “You just have to follow the formula left to right… and you can see exactly where your journey takes you.”

She went through chemotherapy and radiation, sharing parts of the process publicly—including the moment she shaved her head and the conversations with her children about what was happening. In her telling, the physical side effects were only part of it. There was "chemo fog", neuropathy, and the exhausting accumulation of “always something”—body and mind. Returning to “being Guerdy again” wasn’t immediate; it was, as she put it, “slow and low,” like something you cook carefully until it’s done. The experience forced a question she hadn’t asked before: Who is the new version of Guerdy on the other side of this?

When she was declared cancer‑free and in remission later in 2023, relief arrived alongside a new way of living. Cancer taught her, she says, to be humble—and to live in the now. The version of herself that once ran on rigid schedules learned to move by a different metric: what her body needs today. “I flow,” she explained. Rest is no longer negotiable. If she doesn’t feel up to doing something, she gives herself permission to stop. In her mind, that isn’t quitting—it’s listening.

Today, staying well is both medical and personal. She follows her care team’s surveillance plan, including regular imaging at six‑month intervals (mammogram and ultrasound) and MRI, alongside bone‑density monitoring. As an ER+ patient, she takes anastrozole—what she calls a “five‑year pill”—as hormone‑blocking therapy, and she treats adherence as part of her commitment to the life she fought to keep. She also works daily on what survivorship demands physically: walking about five miles a day, lifting weights to support bone density, and keeping her lymphatic system front‑of‑mind. Lymphatic massages—on her face and body—have become a form of self‑care that feels like physical therapy. She adds breathing exercises, deliberate “mental detoxing,” and whatever restorative practices help her feel like herself again.

Some of her new rituals are symbolic as much as they are practical. She’s kept her short hairstyle, shaving her hair regularly as a reminder to “stay humble, stay kind, stay focused on you.” It marks a boundary between who she was before and who she’s determined to be now: a woman who puts her health first, without apology. She calls it her “me era”—a way of claiming time, energy, and attention after a season when her body demanded all three.

That shift is also why she chooses to talk about her cancer journey—and about the Oncotype DX test—out loud. As a Haitian woman raised in a Caribbean household, she’s spoken about how cancer can carry stigma in many communities, including Caribbean, African, and Latin cultures: it becomes “hush‑hush,” something people endure quietly, sometimes without naming it. Abraira rejects that silence. She believes patients shouldn’t have to suffer alone, and she wants people to know that faith and medicine can coexist—“add the science to the prayer,” she says. In her view, being informed isn’t optional; it’s power.

She also talks about it because the test gave her something rare in a cancer journey: a sense of control. When you’re diagnosed, she says, it can feel like your life has been taken over—by fear, by medical terms you didn’t ask to learn, by decisions that carry enormous weight. The Oncotype DX test, for her, became a decision‑driven tool that translated uncertainty into action: understand the risk, understand the potential benefit, choose a path. She wants others—especially those who may not know such testing exists—to ask questions, take the tests they’re offered, and advocate for themselves. And she keeps returning to the point that started it all: get screened. The mammogram that felt routine was the moment her life changed—and the reason she is here to tell the story.

As Katherine contemplated her decision, her husband learned about the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^® test, a new test that was coming onto the market. Katherine’s physician had heard about the test but didn’t think that it would be available for a couple of years. They made a deal that if she did the legwork in researching when the test would become available, and he determined that it was appropriate for her management, he would order it for her. In the meantime, standard assessments of Katherine’s tumor indicated that chemotherapy would be necessary. She reached out to Genomic Health, now part of Exact Sciences, to see when it would be available.

In January 2004, Katherine became the first commercial customer to use the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test and learned she had a Recurrence Score result of 18, indicating that she may not benefit from chemotherapy and could proceed with an aromatase inhibitor alone for her treatment.

Amy is a former nurse who felt healthy and was living a “gloriously boring” life before her diagnosis. She spent her time managing her teen’s schedules, planning vacations, and working.

Then, in 2022 at the age of 46, she was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer. She chose a bilateral mastectomy. Amy advocated for herself by choosing this more drastic type of surgery. She has a family history of other types of breast cancer and wanted to reduce the stress from worrying about another diagnosis of breast cancer.

Not having chemotherapy also meant that Amy didn’t have the physical signs of a cancer patient, and this allowed her to control who she wanted to tell and involve in the process. Because Amy was premenopausal and her cancer was hormone receptor positive, she received anastrozole and Zoladex^® following her mastectomy.

Amy found it difficult to talk about her diagnosis because she was scared. She was grateful to loved ones who gave her space to process her situation and to make decisions, even when the choices were personal and perhaps not what others would have chosen.

Amy suggests seeking multiple opinions to find a provider you are comfortable with and that is easy to get to for appointments. She urges others with a similar diagnosis to take a breath, gather information, surround yourself with people you trust, and keep moving forward because you have no choice except to be tough.

Amy wants to share her story because she remembers wanting to find people with a similar diagnosis to help her gain courage in her treatment choice and feel optimistic about that choice. In particular, she wants others to know that the Oncotype DX test can help patients avoid unnecessary treatment.

"I think the Oncotype DX test has provided peace of mind and the confidence to make a well-informed decision to the breast cancer community.

The Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^® test provides another critical piece in the data puzzle for breast cancer patients. Alone, it may not decide a patient's path forward, but it provides incredible insight and PERSONALIZED information that people can use to decide what treatment options suit them best and feel most comfortable.

Because no two patients or situations are alike, the test becomes an invaluable tool to use in forming a survival plan based on additional personalized factors.“

Como mamá primeriza, Rosemary nunca se imaginó que escucharía las palabras: “Tienes cáncer de mama”. Tras una mamografía de rutina y una serie de biopsias, los médicos confirmaron que padecía cáncer de mama invasivo en estadio 2, con receptores de estrógeno positivos (ER+) y HER2 negativo, que se había propagado a un ganglio linfático.

Ante la difícil decisión sobre el tratamiento, Rosemary optó por hacerse una doble mastectomía. Si bien la recuperación física fue agotadora, el impacto emocional fue aún mayor. “La parte más difícil fue no poder cuidar a mi hija. Durante esas seis semanas después de la cirugía, no pude cargarla”, recuerda.

Mientras Rosemary se recuperaba de la cirugía, se reunió con su oncólogo para hablar sobre la siguiente etapa del tratamiento. Una de las principales dudas era si la quimioterapia sería beneficiosa. Para ayudarla a tomar esa decisión, su médico le indicó la prueba Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^®, que ayuda a calcular el riesgo de recurrencia y el posible beneficio de la quimioterapia.1-6

Cuando Rosemary recibió los resultados, el camino a seguir se volvió más claro. Su resultado en el Recurrence Score^® fue de 39, lo que indicaba que la quimioterapia probablemente desempeñaría un papel importante en su plan de tratamiento. Aunque sabía que la quimioterapia no sería fácil, los resultados le dieron confianza en la decisión.

Rosemary se sometió a quimioterapia, seguida de 28 sesiones de radioterapia. Los efectos secundarios fueron importantes y la obligaron a dejar de lado su carrera como optometrista durante su recuperación. Sin embargo, el apoyo de su familia y amigos la ayudó a superar uno de los momentos más difíciles de su vida.

Al reflexionar sobre su propia experiencia, Rosemary se dio cuenta de que no todos los pacientes cuentan con el mismo sistema de apoyo. Esa toma de conciencia le dio una nueva misión: ayudar a otras personas que enfrentan el cáncer a sentirse un poco menos solas.

Faced with difficult treatment decisions, Rosemary chose to undergo a double mastectomy. While the physical recovery was grueling, the emotional toll was even greater. “The hardest part was not being able to take care of my daughter. Those six weeks after surgery, I couldn't carry her,” she remembers.

As Rosemary recovered from surgery, she met with her oncologist to discuss the next phase of her treatment. One of the biggest questions was whether chemotherapy would be beneficial. To help guide that decision, her doctor ordered the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^® test, which helps estimate the risk of recurrence and the potential benefit of chemotherapy.1-6

When Rosemary received her results, the path forward became clearer. Her Recurrence Score^® result was 39, indicating that chemotherapy would likely play an important role in her treatment plan. While she knew chemotherapy wouldn’t be easy, the results gave her confidence in her decision.

Rosemary underwent chemotherapy, followed by 28 radiation treatments. The side effects were significant and required her to step away from her career as an optometrist during her recovery. Yet the support of her family and friends helped carry her through one of the most challenging times in her life.

As Rosemary reflected on her own experience, she realized that not every patient has the same support system. That realization sparked a new mission—to help others facing cancer feel a little less alone.

Ellie was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 48 years old. Given that she was young, had no family history, and received regular mammograms, the news came as quite a shock.

She began noticing what she now realizes were early symptoms nearly a year before her diagnosis, which she and her doctor attributed to her new workout regime. It wasn’t until Ellie felt a hard lump that she knew she needed to get tested for breast cancer.

Ellie often felt like others would try to reassure her by saying "don't worry because most of the time it's benign, or not serious..." at each step of her journey. However, at each step, Ellie’s results were the opposite of what she wanted to hear. For example, her doctor still needed cleaner margins after her first surgery, so she had to undergo a second surgery.

Following her second surgery, Ellie and her doctor moved forward with four rounds of chemotherapy for twelve weeks as well as anastrozole to treat her cancer.

Ellie wants to share her story because she wants others to know the lesser-known side of the story, that genomic testing can help inform your decision to get chemotherapy, not just to forgo it. In her case, her Recurrence Score result of 31 provided her reassurance that chemotherapy would be an essential part of her treatment regime.

Today, Ellie is feeling good and sees the doctor every six months for a check-in. She continues her career as a lawyer and resides happily with her husband in Middletown, DE.

In 2011, Sabrina, a 40-year-old mother of three, emergency room nurse, and active runner, noticed an indentation in one of her breasts. Despite an inconclusive mammogram, she opted for a biopsy, which revealed hormone receptor-positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in her right breast.

Her doctor recommended a mastectomy of the right breast. She chose to do a double mastectomy, which revealed invasive breast cancer in her right breast and Paget’s disease in her left.

Sabrina’s first doctor recommended aggressive chemotherapy based on her age and African American ethnicity. A second doctor also suggested chemotherapy but with a different regimen. Sabrina was confused by the differing opinions but went ahead with a chemotherapy port placement.

She got a third opinion from an oncologist. This doctor was the first to mention the Oncotype DX^® test to possibly avoid chemotherapy. The test, performed on three tissue samples, gave Sabrina a low Recurrence Score result of 10. Based on this result, the oncologist recommended a shorter course of radiation and tamoxifen instead of chemotherapy.

Looking back, Sabrina is proud of her proactive approach during a challenging diagnosis. “This might have been the first real moment where I really stood up for myself and self-advocated,” she says. “The whole experience was life-changing for me. Everybody wanted to give their opinion, but it was really something that I did on my own.”

Sabrina now works as a breast cancer clinical trial navigator, helping patients find suitable clinical trials. She is also on many non-profit boards and is involved with multiple patient advocacy groups.

Sabrina’s message to patients is one of hope and strength. “You'll realize how strong you are and how fleeting life is,” she shares. “You can really come away with a lot of gratitude and a lot more joy in life. With the right mindset, you can use a breast cancer diagnosis to become your better self.”

Nina is a retired fourth-grade math and science teacher and an avid sports card collector who enjoys sketching, journaling, and spending time at the farmhouse with her family and friends. As a former teacher, Nina is devoted to education and helping others reach their potential.

During her career teaching, Nina worked to continuously improve the lives of her students by encouraging them to be “young mathematicians”. Nina’s approach to teaching was innovative, collaborative, and compassionate.

It was a shock to her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2021, at the age of 64. Prior to her diagnosis, Nina did not have any physical symptoms or signs of breast cancer and there was no history of breast cancer in her family. It was when her new PCP recommended that she schedule a mammogram that her diagnosis journey began.

The initial mammogram came back questionable, which is when her health care providers conducted another mammogram, a sonogram, and a biopsy leading to her eventual diagnosis of early-stage, invasive breast cancer.

Following a lumpectomy during which three of her lymph nodes were removed (including one that was found to contain cancer cells), her doctor recommended using the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score^® test to help determine whether she may not benefit from chemotherapy. Nina’s Recurrence Score result was 21, indicating that she may not benefit from chemotherapy and could proceed with hormone-blocking therapy and radiation. Nina was overcome with emotion.

Nina feels fortunate that her cancer was caught early, and that she was able to benefit from a genomic test that put her on a much simpler medical path.

Based on her personal experience and background as an educator, she is now compelled to share her story to help others facing a cancer diagnosis. She encourages those who have recently been diagnosed with cancer to learn as much as possible from their health care providers, in order to make more informed decisions about their treatment.