‘It could happen to anyone’ Metro woman has message after surprising breast cancer diagnosis

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - One Kansas City woman who recently battled breast cancer has a message for others.

42-year-old Jeni Combs was only a few short months overdue for her yearly mammogram when she noticed something was off.

“When I lifted my arms up to put my hair in a clip, I saw a small dimple on one of my breasts and had read somewhere that that could be a sign of breast cancer,” said Combs.

She had no family history and a clean scan the year prior, but things had quickly changed.

“I got right in for my mammogram to get it checked, and it turned out to be cancer,” said Combs.

From there, she underwent a double mastectomy and discovered through testing that she had a genetic mutation. Combs also told her family about her diagnosis. Her aunt decided to go in for a mammogram.

“When she did, she discovered she had early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, which is a very aggressive form of breast cancer,” said Combs.

They’ve been able to lean on each other throughout their parallel journeys. Last month, Jeni finished her last of four rounds of chemotherapy.

Combs has a message for other women, especially those in their 40s, like herself.

“Report any kind of breast change to your doctor right away,” said Combs. “Don’t just assume that it’s nothing or that you’re too young for this to happen to you, ‘cause it could happen to anyone.”

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for thirty percent of all new female cancers each year.