She survived after doctors initially said she was cancer-free. Now she has advice for other women.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Joanne Peña was just 10 years old when her mother died from colon cancer. Peña said it felt like déjà vu in 2018 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to share the news with her children.

"My husband and I come home and we sat right here, much like my mom did with me and my sister at their same ages and tell them that mom has cancer," Peña said. "The goal has always been to keep their life as normal as possible, because my life was so disrupted that I was not going to do it to them."

With cancer on her mind, Peña got regular mammograms and pap smears starting at age 30.

Everything was always fine," she said.

But at age 30, she felt a lump in her breast. When three mammograms showed nothing was wrong, she insisted on getting an ultrasound. The ultrasound led to a biopsy which revealed the cancer.

"I had it on both sides. It had spread to my lymph nodes. My only choice was a bilateral mastectomy," she said.

The experience left Peña convinced that advocating for herself led to an early diagnosis which saved her life. She now urges other women, especially those with dense breast tissue, to not accept some results and also advocate for themselves.

"I want them to ask when their mammograms come up clear, or they have a history or even if they don’t have a history, I want them to ask, 'Can I have an MRI because,' my cancers weren’t detected by any mammogram I ever had."

She also encouraged women to advocate for genetic testing.

Peña has endured seven surgeries since her 2018 diagnosis. She still struggles with the why she's still alive when so many of her friends have died from cancer. She now advocates in their memory.

"What do I want for my birthday? For every one of my female friends to go schedule your mammograms, that's what I want," she said.

If you need a mammogram but cannot afford one, there are several programs available to assist.

Click here for information about the Reach Out For Life free mammography program or call 804-977-3920 (English) or 804-499-0246 (Espanol)