Mother, daughter diagnosed with breast cancer four weeks apart

Kathlyn “Kathie” West is the third generation of women in her family diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, she’s in the care of IU Health’s Bryan Schneider.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

Kathlyn “Kathie” West’s smile lights up her face. She sits in an infusion chair at IU Health’s Simon Cancer Center chatting with a work friend about life outside of her diagnosis. Her mother, who lives in California is just outside the infusion area.

Waiting. That’s what this family is doing. Waiting for the next scan, the next bit of news. It’s all too familiar to them. The hospital is all too familiar to them.

West grew up in Southern California, where she was active in high school dance and drill teams. She was 19 and in college studying interior design when she met her future husband, “JW,” who affectionately calls her “Daisy.” He was 21, and in the Marine Corps at the time. They were married in 2003 at St. Dorothy’s Church, Glendora, Calif. - a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. Four years later, West gave birth to her son, Joey.

“Joey was born with a brain injury, cerebral palsy, and was severely disabled his whole life, but he was our Prince - the happiest human being. He was sick a lot and had a complex mental situation. It was hard but also the best chapter of our life,” said West, 43. “We lost Joey to leukemia in 2019.” Two years later, West was diagnosed with breast cancer, four weeks after her mother, Carol Warren received the same diagnosis. During an annual mammogram, doctors discovered a Stage 1 tumor in Warren’s breast, small enough they were able to remove it with surgery.

West is the youngest of Warren’s three daughters. West’s grandmother was also diagnosed with breast cancer. West tested negative for the BRCA gene, an inherited cancer mutation.

“About five months before my diagnosis, I found a lump, but I had found them before and just about the time that lump started to hurt I went and got checked,” said West. “If I had gotten checked right away, this might be different. I waited because I was still grieving the loss of my son. I wasn’t taking care of myself,” said West. “My husband said, ‘Joey doesn’t get you yet; you’re still mine.’”

As she talks, West snuggles with a blanket her husband had made for her. One side represents her favorite Los Angels Dodgers baseball team; the other is pink for breast cancer.

Her initial diagnosis was Stage 2 triple-positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). She was treated in California with chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy.

“They said, ‘congrats it’s over forever’ and life went on,” said West. With family back in Indiana, West wanted to move to the Midwest. “My husband was coming up on 20 years working in law enforcement and I just looked at him one day and said, ‘life it too short.’ It was always our plan to retire out of state – to move out of the rat race and live humbly.” So, they moved to Indiana. Her husband works for the U.S. Department of Defense, and West works as an architectural designer for Bailey Weiler Custom Homes.

West had just given her previous employer her 30-day notice and accepted the position with Bailey Weiler when her blood work came back showing some high tumor markers. A PET scan followed, and in December 2024, West learned the cancer had spread to her lungs, lymph nodes, chest, bone of her sternum and rib cage.

Through an acquaintance, she learned of IU Health’s Dr. Bryan Schneider, who works as a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer. He is the founding director of the IU Health Precision Genomics Program. Precision genomics is a type of personalized medicine that considers a patient’s genes, environment, and lifestyle. It involves analyzing a patient’s DNA and tumor to target the therapy. Doctors can match the best treatments based on the patient’s genetic makeup.

“I had my genes tested in California, so they took the tissue from my biopsy to look at my specific DNA to see what treatments work best. That’s going the extra mile,” said West. “Dr. Schneider is so down to earth and easy to understand. I like his positively and I like that he’s up on what is the newest treatment.”

As she sat with her friend and former coworker, David Smith, and her mother, West said: “I am truly blessed by the support of my doctor, my friends and family.” While her mother spends time in Indiana, her father, Rich Warren, is back in California, packing them up for a move to Indiana.

“I have an amazing support team. My husband is my rock, and I thank God for keeping me going.”