At just 24 years old, Alexis Klimpl, a San Diego resident and Hawaii native, felt an itch—and found something life-altering instead.

Lying in bed with her boyfriend, she scratched her chest and suddenly froze.
“There’s literally a lump on my boob,” she said.

It was hard, movable, and unmistakably wrong. Was it a bone? A cyst? Or… cancer?

Though young and healthy, Alexis soon joined the more than 300,000 U.S. women diagnosed with breast cancer each year—and the growing number of women under 40 affected by this disease.

With a long-awaited trip to Indonesia already planned, Alexis made the difficult decision to delay seeking medical advice. While she traveled, the lump grew. When she returned, she got the answer she feared: Stage 2 triple-positive breast cancer—a rare, aggressive form that’s receptive to hormone therapy. Alexis collapsed in the exam room. The diagnosis brought back painful memories of her father’s death from bile duct cancer in 2017. “All I could think about was how he was feeling, and how people similar to that feel, and what goes through their mind,” she said. But unlike her father, Alexis wasn’t terminal. There was hope. And there was a plan.

Her first priority: preserve her fertility. Before starting chemotherapy, Alexis underwent egg freezing—a physically and emotionally grueling process. “You look like you’re pregnant, mood swings rattle your brain, the emotional toll…” she recalled.

Then came chemotherapy—Taxotere and Carboplatin—and hormone therapy with Herceptin and Perjeta. The side effects hit hard. Nausea “ran through her bones,” and no medication could stop it. She tried cold capping to save her hair, but a painful rash destroyed her self-esteem.

Experts say doctors treating young patients like Alexis often face a complex task—balancing aggressive treatment with long-term quality of life, including fertility preservation, early menopause, and emotional well-being. Cancer therapies can throw young women into abrupt menopause, a life-altering change that is often overlooked in younger patients.

Despite the suffering, Alexis pressed on.

After chemotherapy, surgery followed—first to remove the tumor and lymph nodes, then a double mastectomy for peace of mind, even though she tested negative for BRCA or other breast cancer genes.

Then came the hormone blockers: a decade-long regimen to prevent recurrence. It brought on chemical menopause at just 25—bone pain, mood swings, thinning hair. Unlike older patients who may be closer to natural menopause, younger women are often blindsided by these sudden shifts. Few resources exist for women navigating menopause this young, but Alexis found solidarity through online survivor communities.

“It’s all pretty manageable,” she said, “but that’s just what it comes with.”

Dr. Carmen Calfa, a breast oncologist and medical co-director of the Survivorship Cancer Program at the University of Miami Health System, spoke with USA Today in a July 2025 feature about the challenges young women face when dealing with breast cancer and early menopause. She highlighted the growing concern surrounding early-onset breast cancer and emphasized the importance of understanding both genetic and modifiable risk factors. Dr. Calfa also underscored the need to enhance care resources for young women like Alexis who are navigating premature menopause and survivorship.

Nearly a year after discovering the lump, Alexis returned to Hawaii and finally swam in the ocean again—the first time since before chemo. The warm water felt like a spiritual reset.

A week later, back in San Diego, she surfed again. After weeks of gray skies, the sun broke through.

Today, Alexis Klimpl is one of more than 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. She remains hopeful about her fertility and the possibility of becoming a mother someday. More than anything, she’s committed to raising awareness—especially for young women.

Her message is clear and urgent:
“If you feel a lump, don’t ignore it. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’re safe. Trust your instincts, get checked, and don’t stop until you have answers.”

(Rh/Eth/VK/MSM/SE)