Our Conversation With Erin Perkins, Author of Young Breast Cancer: Your Story and Mine”
In early 2021, Erin Perkins received a call. The call. The one that would alter the course of her life: she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
With two young children and a history of community service, Erin found herself confronting a devastating situation that she initially believed was improbable due to her age — at just 34 years old.
A cancer diagnosis is chaotic. It can make clarity impossible to find. But for this young mother, survivor, and now author, one belief kept her grounded:
“I operate fully in the ‘humans being human together’ mentality that Rev. Desmond Tutu talked about,” Perkins says. “And that concept, mixed with my desire after cancer to do the ‘somedays’ right away, inspired the writing of my book.
That book — Young Breast Cancer: Your Story and Mine: A Compact Guide — is her answer to a question many newly diagnosed young people don’t even know how to ask: What now?
Perkins offers practical insight and deeply personal storytelling to soften the sharp edges of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. She draws from her own experiences to resonate on a deeper level with the reader.
And that experience? It was a wild ride, which actually began with a misdiagnosis and a decision to change her medical team, emphasizing the importance and power of patient advocacy.
“We don’t have to settle as cancer patients. No matter the diagnosis, we have agency, we can know what we need (and want) and we can fight for it.”
Strength, Persistence & Difficult Decisions
The day before her 35th birthday, she received her diagnosis: Stage IIB, Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, triple-negative with 2% estrogen, 0% progesterone and 0% HER2 positivity — a more aggressive and less common form of breast cancer.
Completing 16 chemotherapy infusions just a week before her 10th wedding anniversary, this chapter culminated in a bilateral mastectomy.
Erin was informed that she would only be a candidate for radiation if she underwent a lumpectomy because of her original diagnosis and tumor size. This caused internal turmoil as she kept going back and forth, trying to pick the one with the best outcomes.
“For me, that was agonizing. I had already decided to have an aesthetic flat closure for my reconstruction,” Perkins says. “The radiation oncologist I met with agreed to allow radiation after bilateral mastectomy if I did not achieve a ‘pathology complete response’ (pCR) after chemo. Three days after my mastectomy, scrolling through myChart on August 9, 2021, I learned I had pCR. The treatment phase was over.”
Choosing aesthetic flat closure, she embraced her new body image, even commemorating it with a meaningful chest tattoo inspired by one of her favorite bands, mewithoutYou.
“Some people ask why I chose to be flat, and I love talking about it,” she explains. “The gist is I feel more like myself this way, especially now that I have the tattoo I dreamt up when I was diagnosed.”
Her Book Provides Support Using Education & Emotional Grace
Released March 18, 2025, her book is intentionally concise, designed to be a gentle companion that offers grace rather than an overwhelming manual that demands action. It combines personal anecdotes with practical advice on topics such as understanding medical terminology, parenting during treatment and managing relationships.
“This book is me in book form,” she says. “It’s a handheld, gentle friend, here for you if you are newly diagnosed. It also has a QR code that leads to a site I am keeping current, and adding resources and statistics to as they become available.”
Importantly, she often avoids toxic positivity. Instead, Perkins focuses on validating the complex emotions that accompany a cancer diagnosis and ensuring the reader understands that they are not alone in this journey.
“I wrote in a way that only supports and doesn’t ask anything of the reader except to keep going, even if doing so whilst donning a scowl,” she notes. “Go scared, go tired, go sick, go angry, and go wishing you could stop going; just make sure to keep going.”
Young Breast Cancer: Your Story and Mine Is Available Now
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- BookBaby
- Our Chemo Kits (While Supplies Last)
For those seeking connection or resources, Perkins invites you to reach out to her:
- Email: erinsguidetobreastcancer@gmail.com
- Instagram: @erinleeperkins
- Website: www.erinleeperkins.com
Perkins also serves as the president of the working board of directors at The Young Breast Cancer Project, focusing on education, storytelling, and community research. Her commitment to advocacy is rooted in her belief in shared humanity and the power of collective support.
In sharing her story, Perkins offers a beacon of understanding and solidarity to young individuals facing breast cancer, reminding them that they are not alone in their journey.
