TUCSON, Ariz. (Oct. 5, 2026) – As a Banner – University Medicine pathology assistant, Kayla Bissonette spends her days examining surgical specimens and finding clinical evidence of diseases like breast cancer. Because of her work, she understands much of what happens behind the scenes when a patient undergoes biopsy and surgery. But nothing prepared her for becoming the patient at 32-years-old.
In June 2025, Kayla noticed a lump in her breast. Following an exam, her doctor determined the lump warranted further evaluation and recommended an ultrasound and diagnostic mammogram. During the ultrasound, Kayla’s professional experience made it difficult to separate the professional from the patient when she recognized the signs of breast cancer. The imaging led to a breast biopsy at a Banner Imaging Center where she said the care team put her at ease during an especially frightening experience.
In September, pathologist and Kayla’s trusted colleague Troy Tenney, DO, confirmed her breast cancer diagnosis. Instead of hearing the news from a stranger, Kayla heard it from someone she was close with.
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“We both cried,” Kayla said. “I was so grateful to him.”
Understanding the seriousness of her diagnosis, Kayla turned to the University of Arizona Cancer Center, part of Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, for treatment. The center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Arizona. It has also been ranked the No. 1 cancer center in Tucson by U.S. News & World Report for four consecutive years and is Tucson's only accredited breast cancer center, one of just three in Arizona.
Kayla's oncologist, Sima Ehsani Chimeh, MD, confirmed that her cancer was HER2-positive and estrogen receptor- and progesterone receptor-negative. Because the tumor was larger than 5 centimeters, Kayla began treatment before surgery. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy combined with HER2-targeted therapy.
She finished chemotherapy at the end of January. An MRI before surgery showed the tumor had responded significantly to treatment, and she underwent a lumpectomy in March.
The pathology following surgery showed only small remaining areas of tumor and no cancer was found in her lymph nodes. Her treatment plan was adjusted accordingly.
Just shy of a year after her diagnosis, Kayla completed active treatment and a post-treatment mammogram showed no evidence of disease.
Today, at 33, the experience has changed the way she views her profession and the patients behind every specimen that reaches her laboratory.
"I've always cared for the patients whose specimens I work with," she said. "But when it comes to breast, it just means a little more now."
It has also given her a message she plans to keep sharing.
"If you feel that something's not right, trust yourself, trust your body, and be persistent," she said. "We need to know what our normal is so that, if anything changes, we can seek help."
Now, she is marking the end of active treatment with a breast cancer walk in Massachusetts alongside a longtime friend living with metastatic breast cancer who supported her throughout her own treatment.
"If my story can help even one person, then that's wonderful," she said. "I'm never going to stop talking about breast cancer awareness. I'm never going to stop talking about checking yourself. It's important. We have to look out for each other."
About Banner Health
Banner Health's mission is to make health care easier, so life can be better. As one of the nation's largest fully integrated nonprofit health systems, we are pioneering a sustainable care model that prioritizes prevention, manages chronic disease, and reduces health spending – succeeding when patients stay healthy, not when they get sick. We operate 33 hospitals and more than 400 sites across six states, delivering seamless care from primary to quaternary medicine, including health insurance, physician networks, world-renowned specialty services, and behavioral health. Accountable to the communities we serve, we reinvest every dollar into advancing care, research.
