Young mom in remission after aggressive breast cancer fight looks forward to Survivors Parade

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of people will flock to Churchill Downs on Friday for the annual running of the Kentucky Oaks race. That includes 150 breast and ovarian cancer survivors and fighters who will partake in the 17th annual Survivor's Parade.

One of those survivors includes Mia Whitton.

Last August, Whitton made an unexpected discovery that completely shifted her world.

While relaxing with her husband, Whitton's two pets, a cat and Boxer, had a brief moment of chaos.

"Our boxer jumped in the bed and scared her (the cat) and her claws came out when she jumped off of me ... I went to make sure I wasn't bleeding," Whitton said. "And I felt it."

The unsuspecting moment led to the discovery of a lump in her breast. At just 30 years old and with no family history of breast cancer, the wife and mother of a 2-year-old assumed it was likely a cyst.

Originally, Whitton planned to have it addressed at her upcoming annual OBGYN appointment just a few months away. But her husband urged her to get checked right away. Whitton's mother-in-law fought her own battle with breast cancer, which prompted her husband's urgency and encouragement to schedule an appointment.

That difference in time likely made a different in diagnosis. 

"That would've been the difference between stage one and stage three," Whitton said. "I had a very aggressive type of cancer."

Within days, Whitton was scheduled for a mammogram, followed by a cyst aspiration. When the radiologist was unable to extract fluid, doctors no longer suspected it was a cyst and in fact breast cancer.

"It was nothing I ever thought I would be faced with," Whitton said.

Whitton's case was unique not only because of her age, but because she was in the demographic least likely to be diagnosed — pre-menopausal and under the recommended screening age of 40. Dr. Alissa Doll, a breast surgical oncologist who treated Whitton, emphasized the urgency of her early detection.

"Every week you don't know what's going on, you're allowing that cancer to continue to grow," Dr. Doll said. "Because Mia's cancer was contained in the breast, her prognosis is incredibly favorable — but had it been delayed, the outcome could've been very different."

Whitton quickly began chemotherapy. She opted for one of the most aggressive chemotherapy options available to breast cancer patients. Her motivation was her young son, Lincoln.

"I really wanted to get it done and over with before the holidays," Whitton said. "I have a little boy, so I wanted to enjoy them with him."

Throughout treatment, she kept active and worked to maintain a sense of normalcy. But one of the hardest parts came when she lost her hair.

"I could do my makeup and hair and look normal," Whitton said. "When you lose your hair, you have no way to mask what's going on."

Emotionally, the journey brought heartbreak as well. Whitton and her husband had been trying to give Lincoln a sibling — a dream put on hold, possibly forever.

"As a young, 30-year-old that wanted to give her baby a sibling, that was hard," Whitton said. "But I had to remind myself — it could be a lot worse."

Around the new year, she received news that felt like a fresh start: her tumor was completely gone.

"It was the best news," Whitton said. "The chemo did exactly what it was supposed to do."

Dr. Doll called it a "complete pathologic response" — meaning no cancer was detected in the removed tissue after chemotherapy.

After completing a double mastectomy in March and now preparing for one final reconstructive surgery, Whitton is officially in remission. She'll remain on medication for five years as a preventative measure.

But Whitton's story doesn't end with recovery. 

"If I was going to get breast cancer, now was the best time," Whitton said. "My son is so young, he won't remember this. All he'll know are the pictures and stories we share."

Whitton is now involving herself in multiple breast cancer awareness events, including the Tails & Tatas 5K in Elizabethtown. She wants to raise awareness for young women.

"You don't have to have a family history. It can happen to you," Whitton said. "Be your own advocate. If something feels off, speak up."

Whitton credits her husband as being her biggest supporter.

"He did everything — husband, parent, nurse," Whitton said. 

On Friday, Whitton will walk the track at Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Oaks, alongside 149 other breast and ovarian cancer survivors. She'll cross the finish line with her best friend's mother — also a survivor.

"It's surreal," Whitton said. "She's been my rock through all of this. To cross that line together — it's emotional."

Now on the other end of her diagnosis, Whitton said her outlook on life is different.

"Life now is just embracing every moment," Whitton said. "I'm grateful for every single one."

Norton Healthcare Foundation is a charitable sponsor of the Kentucky Oaks Survivors Parade. Churchill Downs Foundation donates funds to support Norton Cancer Institute through Norton Healthcare Foundation.