Amanda Kasahara - The 2022 Breast Cancer Testimonial Speaker

Amanda Kasahara is a wife, mother and most recently a grandmother who has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for over 25 years. She is passionate about her family, baking, cross country running and fishing in Big Bear on family trips. Like it did for so many people, 2020 turned her world upside down in many ways. As a busy surgical nurse at Henry Mayo, with four kids, and a firefighter husband, she put off many of her regular doctors’ appointments, including her annual mammogram. Eventually she went to the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center for a mammogram and had a 3D ultrasound due to dense breast tissue. From those tests, Lead Interpreting Radiologist Dr. Anjali Date saw something she didn’t like and asked Amanda to come in for a biopsy.

Shortly after celebrating her 45th birthday, Amanda was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC). This type of breast cancer is almost never diagnosed in Stage 1 or 2 – since it doesn’t form like a traditional tumor, it’s more gelatin-like and nearly impossible to see on a mammogram. This type of cancer is less likely to be detected on a mammogram, but thanks to Dr. Date’s instincts and knowledge, Amanda’s cancer was caught early. After consultations with her medical care team, Amanda had a mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Thanks to the amazing team at the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center, care teams in the Surgical Center and Outpatient Therapy, Amanda was able to recover and go back to working as a surgical nurse at the hospital.

Amanda is the 2022 Testimonial Speaker for the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Each year, a breast cancer survivor is selected to serve as an ambassador to the community and share her story in hopes of encouraging others to get annual mammogram screenings and stress the importance of early detection.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Amanda is asking that you lend your support to the life-saving work being done at the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center. From screening to treatment, to moving forward in life, they support every patient like they are family. Donate today to support their amazing work.