KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The “20-something years” can be full of many experiences, but for Alaina Keel, she never imagined one of those experiences would involve battling breast cancer.

“I was 25. It was just completely out of left field,” Keel said.

The first inkling that something was off was when Keel noticed a lump on the side of her body as she showered.

“I thought maybe it was muscle. I just didn’t even really register. The first time I remember saying something about it was to my best friend in October of 2023. And I said, I’ve noticed this, but, you know, it’s in a note on my phone. I’m going to tell my primary care doctor about it at my annual checkup coming up in December,” Keel said.

Keel faced 16 rounds of radiation, and she is now a cancer survivor.(Keel family)

When the appointment rolled around, she could smell the trouble in the room. Something was wrong. Three days later, Keel was diagnosed with hormone-positive breast cancer.

“It’s just so hard being in a room as a 25-year-old woman with your dad there, hearing that his daughter is about to lose her breast. Like, it’s heavy. And you really feel the weight in those moments when you’re with your providers that this is happening.”

It happened in January 2024, when Keel underwent a unilateral mastectomy, a choice she said was hard to make.

“It’s something I don’t think many women talk about. A lot of my providers were telling me, most people in your position would do both. It took a lot for me to really figure out why that was and what was going to be best for me. Everyone has a different set of cards they’re dealt and they have to decide what’s best for them.”

Surgery was just the start of her treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation were quickly approaching, but before then chose to create what she calls an insurance policy.

“I opted to do fertility treatments ahead of time, which I’m really thankful for,” she said, “because I don’t have kids and would love to someday.”

Alaina Keel never imagined she would be in a battle with breast cancer.(Keel family)

Days after her egg retrieval, Keel started what became over four months of chemotherapy. In that season, she tried to stay as active as she could.

“I also did my makeup every day. I wanted to feel like I was still pretty. I was still beautiful. Just because I was going bald and then bald didn’t mean I couldn’t still be feminine,” she said.

Eventually, treatments caught up with her, dragging not only her body but her mind down. She says that in those moments, especially, she leaned on her family, friends, and, most importantly, her faith.

“I turned to Christ immediately and just asked for His guidance and for Him to carry me through this,” she reflected. “I knew that this was not something I could do on my own.”

That faith also helped her face 16 rounds of radiation. After everything Keel has endured, she is now a survivor.

“I consider myself cancer-free, and I’m just praying that I’m able to be cancer-free for many years to come.”

In December 2023, Keel was diagnosed with hormone-positive breast cancer.(Keel family)

There is a one in eight chance a woman will develop breast cancer at some point in her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

“No one who is in their 20s, 30s is expecting that this is something that’s going to happen to them,” she said. “Know your own body, prioritize going to your appointments, and keeping up with those because nobody’s going to take care of you like you are.”

For those who have recently been diagnosed, Keel says, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The days are really long, but, you can get through this.”

She also said the breast cancer community is a life-changing resource. “There are so many lovely women who are ready to help the next one along, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing.”