‘An emotional rollercoaster’: Support pours in for Ontario mom battling breast cancer

Kelsey De Sousa, a 31-year-old wife and mother of three from Angus, Ont., first discovered a small lump in her breast near the end of 2020.

After the bump didn’t change or go away, she contacted her doctor, who arranged for an ultrasound and mammogram at Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston, Ont.

But when Kelsey went to the hospital, staff only administered the ultrasound, which initially found the bump to be a cyst. Kelsey was told she should come back in four to six months for a follow-up.

“They didn’t do the mammogram because of her age,” Tyler De Sousa, Kelsey’s husband, told Global News. “They said, ‘You don’t need to do a mammogram because you’re only 31.'”

In a statement to Global News, a Stevenson Memorial Hospital spokesperson said radiologists don’t recommend mammograms for people under age 35 due to safety concerns associated with the exposure to radiation.

“If an ultrasound has been performed and there isn’t any concern with the results, it is not common for a mammogram to be performed as well,” said the hospital’s spokesperson, Rachael Ogorek.

“In some cases, a patient may be asked to return in three to six months’ time for a repeat ultrasound for a follow-up.”

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By March, Kelsey noticed the lump in her breast had quadrupled in size. She called the hospital to get her follow-up ultrasound moved forward, which she was able to do.

“Right when I was there, the ultrasound tech called the radiologist, and they were able to get me a mammogram,” Kelsey said.

“The report from that was that it was worrisome findings, so then my doctor referred me to a breast clinic in Southlake, and they did a biopsy for me, and that’s when it was confirmed that it was breast cancer.”

When Kelsey received the diagnosis of Stage 3 cancer at the clinic at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket on April 9, she said she and Tyler were shocked.

“They had called me the day before and told me to bring my husband with me,” she said. “I thought that was strange, but again, my mind didn’t even go to cancer, honestly. And then we walked in the room, and there was just breast cancer stuff all over the walls, and there was a bag already made up of pamphlets … so then it really hit us.”

Since her diagnosis, Kelsey has had an MRI, a bone scan, a CT scan, an echocardiogram, some more ultrasounds and three biopsies. Her cancer has since spread to her lymph nodes under her armpit and on her left side.

Kelsey had her first round of chemotherapy this past Friday, which she said was rough.

“It took a couple of hours to kick in and then I was very nauseous, very dizzy, lightheaded,” Kelsey said. “I had some stomach pains, and I had lots of tingling and pressure in all my limbs.”

When Kelsey found the lump in her breast, she said she didn’t experience any other noticeable cancer symptoms. She said she has some family history of cancer on her father’s side, and doctors are currently performing tests to see if her breast cancer is genetic.

“I’m a hairstylist, so I work out of our home,” Kelsey said. “With COVID, I have been shut down at least four times over this year, so I can’t work right now, and now I can’t risk getting sick either.”

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Tyler also runs his own business as a general contractor, but he is currently unable to work full-time since non-essential construction was shut down in Ontario and due to stress over Kelsey’s diagnosis.

“I have to be super careful because I can’t bring anything back to her,” he said. “We have three kids we have to look after at the same time, so it’s been crazy so far.”

Neither Kelsey or Tyler have received their COVID-19 vaccines yet. They were hoping to get them done before Kelsey started chemotherapy, but they now must wait a couple of months until the treatment is complete.

Kelsey and Tyler’s sister-in-law, Nicole Phillips De Sousa, set up a GoFundMe page to support the family in relieving financial pressures resulting from the diagnosis. As of this story’s writing, the fundraiser has garnered nearly $50,000.

Kelsey and Tyler also said the community of Angus held an auction to raise funds for their family.

“We have no words anymore — we’re just so grateful,” Kelsey said. “I could have never dreamt that my story would have impacted people the way that it did.”

Tyler said what started off as a nightmare turned into a dream of incredible support from his and Kelsey’s community, friends and family.

“It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster, from the whole beginning to now, and I’m just going to fight this with everything I have,” Kelsey said.

“It’s going to be tough, but I’ll look back on it, and we’ll get through. We’re going to be OK.”

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