10/20/2025
After losing her mom to breast cancer at 41, Erica Chapin knew how important regular screenings were. But when an MRI led to a biopsy in 2022, she almost skipped it. She had been through the process before because of her dense breast tissue.
However, her care team encouraged her to follow through, and that decision changed everything. The biopsy showed she had early-stage breast cancer, still contained within her milk ducts.
Erica turned to her friend, Dr. Reed Cope, a radiation oncologist at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, to talk through her new diagnosis. When it came time to make treatment decisions, her surgeon, Dr. Emily Albright, didn’t hold back.
“She told me we could do a lumpectomy and radiation,” Erica recalled. “But it will come back, and it will kill you.”
Erica made the difficult decision to move forward with the mastectomy, and ultimately, it was the right choice. The surgery revealed how aggressive her cancer was, spreading through most of her right breast in a pattern that imaging hadn't fully captured.
Her recovery wasn’t easy, but her friends and family rallied behind her through it all. It was even harder on Erica’s 4-year-old daughter, who didn’t understand why her mom couldn’t pick her up or lie next to her.
As she healed, Erica thought about what came next. She wanted to be there for others going through difficult journeys of their own. So in January of this year, she joined MU Health Care as a business support coordinator in emergency services. She’s also pursuing a degree in social work with plans to move into patient experience.
“I want to help patients feel supported, not just as patients but personally,” Erica says. “Sometimes that’s about listening. Sometimes it’s about translating what’s happening so people feel less overwhelmed.”