For Mara Langer, breast cancer was a family story — but she was determined to change the ending. Mara lost her grandmother to breast cancer. Then, at age 16, after watching her mother fight it for years too, she saw her mom lose that same battle.
Given her family history, Langer, now 57, knew a breast cancer diagnosis could very well be in her future. She knew the importance of an early diagnosis and started having mammograms yearly at age 30. Unfortunately, shortly after the birth of her first child, Malia, in 2004, she got the news. The cancer had shown up.
If there was good news, it came in the form of early detection. After a whole lot of soul searching and studying with her husband David, Langer opted for a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction. She says she’s a poster child now for early detection.
“Growing up. I was very well educated to my family history and how to do self-exams. I participated in fundraisers to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research,” Langer said. “That really impacted my life. I knew it was coming. I just didn’t know when."
“It’s a weird feeling. I wasn’t surprised to get the news, but I was still shocked.”
Still, Langer’s cancer journey had another chapter. Two years later, while 12 weeks pregnant with her son Ari, Langer discovered something not quite right under her armpit while performing a self-exam. Within days, she was diagnosed with her second bout of breast cancer in three years.
This time, a diagnosis meant she had a battle with cancer coming as well as a pregnancy to manage. Langer quickly started chemo and had the tumor removed. Ari was born a month early but healthy and on her birthday in March of 2007.
That’s the quick version. The more detailed story is that Langer went through eight years (2004-11) where she had 11 surgeries.
“Every year I was recovering. That was the hardest part. I could never figure out what the new normal was,” Langer said. “I went to therapy, which I would recommend to anyone going through anything. I was always trying to catch up and catch my breath."
“The hardest part was I saw pity in in other people’s eyes. So often I had to pick others up off the ground because they were in shock and fear. I had to recognize that I had to remain positive so they could remain safe and that was really hard on me.”
But the surgeries did end and the recoveries finally turned into a new normal. Langer has been cancer free for a decade plus. She’s started a new life in northern Nevada, moving to Reno in June of 2018. Her children are happy, healthy young adults, now 21 and 18.
“I live my life to my fullest,” she said. “I follow the ‘you-only-live-once’ attitude."
October and its observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here. Langer says it always leaves her with mixed feelings - glad the disease is getting the spotlight it deserves but yet frustrated there is not more recognition to help year-round.
Langer may carry the weight of her family’s past, but she walks forward with strength, gratitude, and a fierce commitment to living fully. Her story is a powerful reminder that survival isn’t just about beating cancer — it’s about reclaiming your life on your own terms.
"In the back of my mind, I always have a fear of the next shoe dropping. And yet, as a whole, I really live with the philosophy of just being grateful for life.”