October 28, 2025

Finding Strength Through Art: Nicole’s Stage 4 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Experience

When Nicole was diagnosed with stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer, her world shifted overnight. A jewelry artist, Nicole saw cancer as an unexpected chapter in her human experience. What began as strange “zapping” sensations in her chest quickly revealed a life-threatening reality. After pushing for timely appointments and a rushed mammogram, Nicole learned not only that she had breast cancer but that it had already spread to her liver.

Interviewed by: Taylor Scheib
Edited by: Chris Sanchez

Nicole’s strength lies not only in her resilience but also in her creativity. For over a decade, she has poured her energy into hand-carved jewelry design, using wax carving as a meditative process to find calm through chaos. Even during intense chemotherapy and through treatment fatigue, she continued creating, transforming her pain into purpose. Eventually, after targeted therapy she began showing results. Nicole underwent a mastectomy with aesthetic flat closure, marking both physical and emotional healing milestones.

Nicole’s experience was far from easy. Her first chemotherapy regimen failed, her tumor grew, and she endured infection and significant pain. But she dug deep and proactively self-advocated. She insisted on faster diagnostic testing and remaining deeply engaged in her care, which proved to be lifesaving. Her story underscores how listening to one’s intuition can be critical in the world of complex oncology.

Now responding well to treatment, Nicole continues chemo alongside complementary therapies like hyperbaric oxygen sessions and lymphatic drainage. She also channels her energy into advocacy and is preparing to attend the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium as a patient representative. Through her art and voice, she reminds others that stage 4 breast cancer is not a death sentence, but a test of perspective, perseverance, and the power of hope.

Watch Nicole’s video and read the transcript of her interview below. Her story will show you how:

Self-advocacy can mean the difference between early treatment and missed opportunity
Creativity can become a form of healing and grounding during illness
Treatments for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer are improving every year
Transformation is possible through both physical healing and renewed purpose
Trusting your intuition when something feels wrong is powerful

Name: Nicole B.
Diagnosis:
- Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (Metastatic)
Age at Diagnosis:
- 42
Staging:
- Stage 4
Mutations:
- BRCA1 and PTEN
Symptoms:
- Appearance of lumps in breast and liver
- Electric shock-like sensations in breast
- Fatigue
Treatments:
- Chemotherapy
- Surgeries: installation of chemotherapy port, mastectomy with flat aesthetic closure
- Targeted therapy: antibody-drug conjugate
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Lymphatic drainage

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. This is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider to make informed treatment decisions.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of The Patient Story.

Transcript of Nicole’s Interview

My name is Nicole
Discovering my passion for jewelry
When I first noticed that something was wrong
Scheduling the mammogram
The waiting game
The diagnosis: stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer
Beginning treatment and facing complications
I recently had a mastectomy
Continuing treatment and finding hope
How creativity keeps me alive
Stage 4 is not a death sentence
What I want others to know

My name is Nicole

My name is Nicole. I have stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer. I was diagnosed earlier in 2025.

Cancer was the unexpected part of my human experience, as it is for most people. I’m a fine jewelry designer, and I make primarily engagement rings in 14- and 18-karat gold. I started my business in 2012, and it has evolved since then. I work from home and live with my wonderful partner, Eric, and his son. I love art and nature. I’m a bit of a homebody and enjoy watching films.

Discovering my passion for jewelry

I attended SAIC in Chicago and earned my degree in Visual Communications, focusing on graphic design. After a major surgery, I left that field and began making jewelry for myself—something hands-on to balance the project management aspect of my job. Over time, as I took more classes and gained more experience, my work evolved into whimsical, nature-inspired, hand-carved pieces.

A loss in my life pushed me to fully embrace that artistic style, even though I thought people might find it “weird.” Fortunately, my clients loved it.

For years, I focused on mastering technique. I learned the rules so that I could break them. Hand-carved jewelry uses jeweler’s wax, a harder, plasticized wax. I carve the wax to create models that go through a casting process where the wax is burned away and replaced by gold.

Working in wax is forgiving; you can fix mistakes. If you carve directly in gold and make a mistake, you have to scrap the whole thing. This process allows me to create sculptural, textured, and expressive work.

When I first noticed that something was wrong

In February 2025, I went to the Tucson Gem Show with my best friend, Lindsay. Right before the trip, after my period, I noticed a strange pain when my seatbelt touched my chest. It felt like a shock or zap. I thought it might be a cyst because I have dense breast tissue and have had cysts before.

But over the trip, I felt more zapping and tingling sensations. They didn’t feel normal. When I returned home, I saw my gynecologist. The lump had grown, and during the exam, he became visibly concerned. He said there was even a temperature difference between my breasts and ordered an urgent diagnostic mammogram.

Scheduling the mammogram

Getting scheduled was difficult. I had to advocate fiercely for myself because appointments were booked months out. Once I finally got in, the mammogram tech kept assuring me it was probably nothing. But deep down, I knew something was wrong.

During the ultrasound, the radiologist quickly returned and requested a rush biopsy. While they couldn’t confirm cancer yet, it was clear they suspected it.

The waiting game

Waiting for results was the hardest part. I cried often. I couldn’t sleep, and I was physically and mentally exhausted long before treatment began. Friends told me that waiting is one of the hardest parts, and they were right.

I went through a lot of cognitive dissonance. I had a hard time sleeping. I cried a lot because I was scared.

The diagnosis: stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer

I received a call within 24 hours of my biopsy. The doctor used the phrase “malignant neoplasm,” but didn’t say the word “cancer.” I had to push for answers. They wouldn’t yet tell me the type, but scheduled me for oncology appointments weeks away.

By the time I saw the surgical oncologist, the tumor had grown dramatically. Testing confirmed triple-negative breast cancer, and within weeks, a PET scan revealed it had spread to my liver and possibly my spine. That’s when I was told it was stage 4.

My doctor told me that if I hadn’t been as proactive as I had, I probably wouldn’t be alive today.

Beginning treatment and facing complications

I began chemo in April, right after my port surgery.

The first treatment didn’t work. The tumor continued to grow and became infected, landing me in the hospital for four days. It was excruciating.

Eventually, I switched to a targeted therapy, an antibody drug conjugate, and it began working quickly.

I recently had a mastectomy

Once the tumor and lymph nodes shrank, my oncologist agreed that I could undergo surgery.

On September 22, 2025, I had a mastectomy with an aesthetic flat closure. The surgical team removed 18 lymph nodes, 15 of which tested positive for cancer.

The recovery went better than I expected. My doctors were supportive, and I felt immense relief knowing the tumor was gone.

Continuing treatment and finding hope

I’m still on chemo. My doctor explained that stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer typically means lifelong treatment, but I’m responding well. I also do hyperbaric oxygen therapy and lymphatic drainage.

Even with treatment fatigue, I try to stay positive. I’ll be attending the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium as a patient advocate in December, which gives me purpose and connection.

I try to stay positive, but I will say chemo has affected my mental health so much.

How creativity keeps me alive

Creating helps me cope.

Jewelry-making is meditative; it lets me focus, breathe, and be present. Even during chemo, when fatigue and brain fog hit hard, I’ve found comfort in carving, designing, and creating meaningful pieces.

I’ve also created silver “Butterfly Portal Pendants,” symbolizing hope and transformation. I donate the proceeds to metastatic breast cancer research.

The wax carving I do is a really meditative process… when I really get into my flow, I can forget about cancer for a little bit.

Stage 4 is not a death sentence

Stage 4 breast cancer is not a death sentence. There are many subtypes, and everyone responds differently.

Treatments are getting better each year. I know women who’ve been “no evidence of disease” for over five years on their first line of treatment. I hold on to that hope.

Many women have lived beyond ten years, some even twenty-five years, with metastatic breast cancer.

What I want others to know

You are your own best advocate. Doctors are wonderful, but they don’t live in your body.

Trust your intuition. Push for answers. Seek second opinions if needed. At the end of the day, you’re the one living with the results. Empower yourself.

Thank you for sharing your story, Nicole!