Claudette Soto, 44, has a lot to celebrate this Mother’s Day, after beating an aggressive form of breast cancer.
“I overcame my fears. And I found you know, a new life, a new beginning,” said Soto, the CEO of a Chicago construction management company, who is also a wife and mother to three boys.
Soto was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2023, despite having a clean mammogram seven months earlier, the diagnosis even surprising her radiologist.
“He said, Claudette, we think it's cancer. And we think it's aggressive, because there was nothing there in September and we're very concerned,” Soto recalled.
Soto had felt a lump in her breast about a month after that mammogram in September 2022, but she has dense breasts and figured it had to be nothing, coming so soon after the mammogram.
“I was like, ‘Let me wait it out.’ And at the same time I felt it continue, it was continuing to grow,” Soto said.
When she did get it checked out at the RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center, she remembers sharing the news with her husband and young sons.
“I told them, I'm sorry, but I think I have cancer. And we're gonna start this journey,” Soto said.
“We were scared. I didn't know what to feel, like, I was kind of in limbo,” said Ari Barraza, Claudette’s oldest son who is in 8th grade.
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Mother’s Day 2023 was a blur, with Soto starting chemotherapy to shrink the mass then later undergoing a double mastectomy.
After a year of grueling treatments, Soto says this Mother’s Day, May 12, 2024, is a true celebration.
“I'm here, you know, it's triumph. I overcame two allergic reactions to chemotherapy. I overcame 16 rounds of chemo, one of the harshest chemos that people face,” Soto said.
Her surgical oncologist, Dr. Andrea Madrigrano, said Soto’s story illustrates why women need to be vigilant about their own health.
“I think it’s really important to know what your risk is, because higher risk women are screened differently than average risk women,” Madrigrano said. “We have a personalized screening program so women do understand what their risk is and their density. And then we come up with a plan tailored for them.”
“There's never an opportune time to go to the doctor, but we have to make it a priority. And we also have to advocate for ourselves. If we feel something, say something. Don't ignore it, act immediately,” Soto said.
Soto’s love for her family is fueling her desire to encourage and support other women.
“I know she's such an inspiring message to a lot of women too, that you can keep going, you can keep your family going, that breast cancer is something that can be scary, but it's manageable,” Madrigrano said.
“It did give me a new more profound appreciation of my mom,” Barraza said.
