Lori Baum is a medical assistant who has spent over two decades working in oncology. She knows cancer. She knows screenings. She eats well, stays active, and has been proactive about her health for years.

And still, in November 2022, she found the words "invasive carcinoma" on her phone screen at lunch.

In this episode of Thrive on Plants, Lori shares her full story: a heavy family history of cancer, a negative BRCA test, a breast MRI that changed everything, and a triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis that her mammogram earlier that same year had completely missed.

What follows is one of the most honest conversations we have had on this podcast. Lori talks about what it actually feels like to go through 16 rounds of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiation, how she stayed active and kept eating well when treatment was taking everything from her, what the healthcare system gets right and gets wrong during survivorship, and how she found her way back to herself on the other side.

Lori is now 58 years old, fully plant-based, strength training, running half marathons, and training for an Ironman relay. She says she is in the best shape of her life.

Topics covered:

Why family history and dense breasts may require more than a standard mammogram
Triple negative breast cancer: what it is and what treatment involves
How Lori stayed active and ate well through chemotherapy and radiation
The emotional weight of survivorship and what comes after treatment ends
How plant-based eating and strength training transformed her recovery
Why self-advocacy is the most important tool you have in your healthcare journey

Connect with Lori: loriabaum@yahoo.com

Additional resources to help you thrive on plants:

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🌱 Take the free health assessment for women 40+: Start Here

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#53 - Triple Negative Breast Cancer: How She Caught It Early and Came Back Stronger