So More Women with Breast Cancer Become Survivors

Leslie was born and raised in Worthington, Indiana. She attended Purdue University and earned degrees in Computer Science and Industrial Management and was a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority. She also obtained her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is both a proud Boilermaker and a Tar Heel. 

  

Leslie was diagnosed with Stage IV lobular breast cancer in November 2017, when abnormalities were found during a routine bone density scan. Unfortunately, her cancer was not visible on either a mammogram or ultrasound, as would often be the case with lobular breast cancer hiding in dense breast tissue. This is not a failure of anyone, but it is simply a failure of our current standard screening technologies.  

 

Since her diagnosis, Leslie seeks to make a positive impact in educating women everywhere about breast density and additional breast cancer screening, so more women with breast cancer become survivors. Fundraising during her Camino de Santiago walk in the fall of 2018 became her first means to that end. 

 

Leslie is Founder and CEO of the nonprofit My Density Matters whose vision is a world where breast density no longer hinders the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The organization works toward their vision by empowering women to find out their breast density, learn their screening options, and advocate for essential additional screening. 

 

Leslie lives in Hawthorn Woods, IL, with her husband, John, and is the proud mother of their 3 grown children. She can be contacted at Leslie@mydensitymatters.org.