Cancer Survivor - Nancy Steiner
As CEO of Baton Rouge’s longest-standing advertising agency, strategy and planning are Nancy Steiner’s bread and butter. But no amount of experience could prepare her for facing the toughest plan yet – a treatment plan after her breast cancer diagnosis.
A routine mammogram in October 2023 uncovered a suspicious spot, then a second mammogram and a biopsy led to the conversation no one ever wants to have – it was stage 1 triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive type. Nancy remembers how overwhelmed she felt in the days and weeks that followed. First, it was the “if-then” scenarios with her doctor. Then, more testing to get to the bottom of her case. And then the treatment plan finally set into action.
In December 2023, she had a lumpectomy on her left breast, and in early February 2024 she began 20 sessions of radiation therapy. Though treatment and recovery were not easy, Nancy says realizing how fortunate she was made it easier to tackle. After the surgery, her doctor told her that her cancer was the smallest cancer he had removed that year. She is still amazed that the radiologist was able to find it!
At first, Nancy chose to keep her diagnosis very private and didn’t tell many people. She opted not to post her journey on social media and didn’t even tell her immediate family until she was sure she didn’t need chemotherapy. Her small but mighty circle of support included her husband Chris, family, friends and co-workers. Also rooting for her was a neighbor who had been diagnosed at a more advanced stage of triple negative breast cancer about a year prior and share insights from her own journey.
Getting past this challenge has prompted Nancy, who leads DAA Media + Marketing, to spend more time giving back. Earlier this year, she and her dog Moose participated in Companion Animal Alliance’s Fur Ball. (Moose raised over $37,000 for CAA, East Baton Rouge’s only open intake animal shelter!) She’s also working with Friends of the Animals and other organizations through her agency’s initiative: DAAM+M GOOD. And taking more time to travel and spend time with family and friends that live in other states has been a conscious choice in her survivorship.
Nancy has also refocused her energy on living a very healthy lifestyle, working out with two trainers focusing on weightlifting and Pilates. She also made the personal decision to become pescatarian and scaled back on sweets and alcohol, though she says a CounterSpace chocolate chip cookie is hard to resist!
Now that she’s been sharing her story, Nancy can’t stress enough that early detection is everything. She feels so fortunate that her aggressive form of cancer was caught early during a routine mammogram (have you scheduled yours yet?). Had she delayed it for even a few months, her cancer would have been more advanced and her treatment plan would have been so much more challenging. She counts herself incredibly lucky – something her doctors tell her all the time.