Keeping our Future Moving Forward: Kayla's Cancer Care and Recovery

My name is Kayla Malone, and I am a single mother, a scientist, and someone who has spent the past two years intentionally rebuilding my life. After realizing that the life I was living no longer felt right, I made the difficult decision to move back home to Minnesota with my daughter and focus on creating a healthier, more meaningful future for us. After a long and discouraging job search, I finally accepted a new position that I was genuinely excited about—one that felt like the beginning of a new chapter and an opportunity to contribute to my community again. That new chapter began on August 24, 2026—my first day at my new job and the day I learned I had breast cancer. After experiencing unusual breast soreness, I had proactively gone to my doctor expecting a routine baseline mammogram. Instead, imaging led to biopsies, and on my first morning at my new job, I received an automated notification that my test results were available. By the end of that day, I had opened my results and read the words “Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Triple Positive.” I was 38 years old. The days that followed brought more biopsies, an MRI, and more information. While there is still uncertainty about everything ahead, the cancer appears to have been caught relatively early, and my doctors are treating me with the goal of curing it. Now I am facing months of treatment, surgery, and an uncertain road ahead while also trying to care for my daughter and navigate the financial and emotional realities of cancer as a single mother who has just started a new job. I am frightened, overwhelmed, and grieving the life I thought I was stepping into—but I am also determined. I don't know exactly what the next year will bring, but I know what I want it to lead to: getting through treatment, getting well, and continuing to build the life my daughter and I worked so hard to create. I am learning that sometimes strength isn't about doing everything yourself. Sometimes it means allowing other people to help you through the seasons when you need them most.