BATON ROUGE- Moose and Bailey, the furry loves of Nancy Steiner's life, may not truly grasp the journey their "dog mom" embarked on a couple of years ago. It all began with a routine mammogram in October 2023, which uncovered a suspicious spot.

"First, I forgot to call... to call back. They continued to reach out, which of course I'm grateful for," Nancy recalls. "They said there's a little spot we want to take a look at."

A second mammogram and a biopsy followed, leading to the dreaded call from her doctor. It was triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive type. In December 2023, Nancy underwent a lumpectomy, and in February 2024, she began 20 sessions of radiation therapy.

"The hardest part about all this was just how overwhelming it was when you first get diagnosed," Nancy shares. "They go through all these 'if then' scenarios: if this, then that, if this, then that. They had flow charts. It was just so incredibly scary and so much information."

She considers herself fortunate that the cancer was caught in Stage One. "My doctor said it was probably the smallest cancer that he's removed that year, and my doctor is constantly telling me how fortunate I am."

Nancy's circle of support included her husband Chris, family, friends, and co-workers. She also refocused her energy on living a healthy lifestyle – working out and stepping up her nutrition. "I'm enjoying life," she says with a smile.

Nancy emphasizes that early detection is everything. She says she feels fortunate her aggressive form of cancer was caught early during a routine mammogram. "My biggest takeaway was get your mammogram."

Now Nancy is spending more time giving back. She and Moose participated in Companion Animal Alliance's Fur Ball, where Moose impressively raised over $37,000!

Even if they can't fully understand Nancy's experience, Moose and Bailey have undoubtedly been a crucial part of the healing journey for Steiner, who is the co-owner of DAA Media and Marketing in Baton Rouge, a dog mom and a breast cancer survivor.