Stumped by breast cancer at 19

At 19, Latoya Jones was looking ahead to a future filled with possibilities.

When she discovered a small lump in her left breast, the St James native initially dismissed it, convinced that she was too young to be seriously ill. The lump, however, continued to grow.

In her book, Survivor’s Spirit, Jones recalls the moment she first noticed the change.

“The first time I noticed something was wrong, I brushed it off. A small lump in my left breast, I used my finger to play with it. I told myself it was nothing. I was too young, too busy, and too full of life to think about doctors and hospitals. But the lump grew, and with it came a nagging fear I tried hard to silence,” she writes.

Eventually, she sought medical attention, expecting reassurance that the lump was harmless. Instead, she received news that would alter the course of her life.

“I will never forget the day I sat in the doctor’s office, swinging my legs nervously. I thought they were going to tell me it was just a cyst, something simple. Instead, the doctor came in with a serious look that made my stomach drop. The doctor said gently, ‘you have breast cancer’,” she recalls.

The words were difficult to comprehend.

“I don’t remember breathing, I don’t remember moving. All I remember is my friend’s hand tightening around mine. I sat frozen. Nineteen and cancer did not belong in the same sentence,” she said.

The days that followed brought more medical tests, scans and unfamiliar terminology as diagnosis challenged her sense of identity and her understanding of the future.

“I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognise the girl staring back. I wasn’t just losing myself. I was losing pieces of myself,” she said.

Her upbringing in Niagara, St James, helped shape the determination and faith that would later sustain Jones through some of her darkest days.

Her treatment journey was gruelling. She underwent four major surgeries and experienced complications as the disease spread beyond her breast, affecting her brain, liver and uterus.

The physical consequences were devastating. Jones endured seizures and a stroke, and at various points lost her ability to walk, talk, and see. Activities she had once taken for granted became difficult or impossible, leaving her dependent on others for basic needs.

War zone

Her first experience of chemotherapy brought another painful reality into focus.

“The first round of chemotherapy hit me like a storm I didn’t see coming. I was the youngest in the room, the girl who looked out of place in a war zone none of us had chosen,” she said.

Yet even in the most difficult periods, she drew strength from her Christian faith.

“When you cannot depend on your physical strength, you learn to depend on God’s strength,” she said.

Today, Jones describes herself as a breast cancer survivor of more than 24 years. Her experience, however, comes with an important distinction: she says her doctor never formally declared her cancer-free.

Her testimony, therefore, is not that every medical concern disappeared or that recovery followed a straightforward path. Rather, she defines survival by the life she continues to lead despite what she has endured.

“My testimony is not that everything suddenly became perfect. My testimony is that despite everything I have faced, I am still here, still standing, still serving God and still living my best life,” she said.

That perspective is central to Survivor’s Spirit, through which she shares her experiences and seeks to encourage others facing adversity.

“ Survivor’s Spirit represents the part of me that refuses to give up,” she said.

“To me, survival is not simply about saying, ‘I beat cancer.’ Survival is about continuing to live, love, serve, hope and believe even after life has wounded you,” she said.

“A survivor may still have scars. A survivor may still have difficult days. A survivor may still have questions. But there is something inside that says, ‘I am still here’,” she said.

She is now a wife, mother and evangelist who shares the word of God and uses her experiences to connect with people facing illness, grief, fear and other challenges.

Her advice to other women diagnosed with the illness combines emotional support with practical action.

“You may cry. You may be afraid. You may have questions. You may not understand why this is happening. But take one day at a time. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Seek medical care. Take care of yourself. Pray. Hold on to your faith,” she said.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com