CMPD officer shares journey as she battles breast cancer

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer Becca Stanton took part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience this past January, but something else was in the back of her mind as she left.

“In January, I was grateful enough to go work the inauguration up in Washington, D.C., on our public order bike unit,” Stanton said.

Before she left, the healthy, fit, 28-year-old had done a breast self-exam and noticed something different.

“Went to D.C., came back home, and I was like, I don’t know, like I would rather know than not know, I don’t want to wait. So I made an appointment at my doctor,” Stanton told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis.

It was breast cancer, a shocking diagnosis for a woman so young.

“As a 28-year-old, why this would be written for me in life, but then I very quickly am reminded that a lot of things that happen in life, everything is out of your control,” Stanton said. “So there was a reason why, and I made a decision kind of in that moment that this was going to be, wherever it ended up being, was going to be. This is a temporary moment in my permanent life.”

Stanton is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Her doctor, Arielle Heeke, says she’s responding to treatment.

“You can actually see in real time if the cancer is responding, which fortunately for her, it has,” Heeke said.

But Heeke says Stanton is part of a concerning trend, more breast cancer diagnoses in young women. A report this year from the American Cancer Society says breast cancer in women under 50 has risen faster than in women over 50.

“I think there’s a lot we still don’t know,” Heeke said.

She says obesity increases the risk, as does family history. But neither applies in Stanton’s case, or for many other patients Heeke sees.

“I think there’s a lot of questions about what other environmental factors are at play,” Heeke said. “What’s challenging also in the younger patients is they’re not getting that annual mammogram, so by the time they seek care, we’re seeing tumors that are a lot bigger, possible lymph node involvement, again, to where we’re having to consider chemotherapy.”

Chemotherapy is harsh and can impact fertility. Parents are forced to make quick decisions about freezing their eggs.

“It felt like I was trying to be robbed of my desires and wishes to have a family one day,” Stanton said. “That was a terrible feeling.”

Stanton did freeze her eggs and started chemo. She’s still working the job she loves, on light duty, surrounded by colleagues who are looking out for her and sporting special patches to support her fight.

“I think this has brought a new sense of gratitude to what I do and the people that I work with, we go out there and we do good,” Stanton said.

Friends have organized a GoFundMe for Becca, to help in her medical expenses. You can also purchase the pink patch to support her fight. Get involved at this link.

As Stanton fights bravely, she wants to speak out and spread awareness.

“You know, naturally, everyone wants to help and feel sorry, but you know, there’s no room on my roster. I don’t want people to look at me and be like, ‘Oh man,’ you know, I want them to be like, ‘Oh, she’s going to be OK,’” Stanton said.

Women under 40 are nearly 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than those over 40. Breast cancer is the leading cancer death in the U.S. in women 20 to 49, according to the American Cancer Society.

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