Alicia Lagendijk

Alicia lives in Oceanside, California, with her husband, two boys, two dogs, and a tortoise. She was born in the Los Angeles area but has lived in North County most of her life, so she considers herself from San Diego. She enjoys working out, traveling, camping, and reading, as well as spending time with friends. She was a lifeguard/swim instructor for nearly 15 years before becoming a nurse. She has now been a nurse for almost eight years and has worked in a few different specialties, most recently transitioning into a role as a nurse case manager in a breast health clinic.

Alicia was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021, after learning that she had a BRCA mutation. Surveillance had been the appropriate option for her at the time, until, as she says, "It wasn't." She found a lump during a self-exam and immediately made an appointment. Imaging and a biopsy confirmed that she had a breast cancer diagnosis.

Alicia went through chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy, ovarian suppression, a PARP inhibitor, radiation, oophorectomy, and DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery. She is in her second year of endocrine therapy.

Alicia believes that everything happens for a reason, though the reason may not always be obvious. Because of her experiences, her goal is to help anyone else impacted by this illness, however she can.