How a Breast Cancer Diagnosis Transformed Her Life’s Purpose: Meet Alison Miransky

When Alison Miransky felt chest pain in late 2024 just weeks after her mother’s death, she initially attributed it to broken heart syndrome. But the 53-year-old soon learned that it wasn’t grief that was causing her symptoms. Nearly three decades after her first breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 24 — and seven months after having a negative mammogram — she was facing breast cancer again.

The biopsy revealed aggressive triple-negative breast cancer, a form that affects only 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer patients, according to the American Cancer Society.

A Rare Second Diagnosis

What made Ms. Miransky’s case especially unusual was its similarity to her first diagnosis. “Her first breast cancer was triple-negative on the right side. This time, she was diagnosed with triple-negative on the left side,” explains Lauren Carcas, M.D., a breast and gynecologic medical oncologist with Baptist Health Cancer Care in Plantation. “It was the same type of cancer, but not a recurrence. This is uncommon, particularly because no known genetic predisposition was found.”

Ms. Miransky was reassured by the approach Dr. Carcas proposed. “I felt very frightened that I was experiencing this again, but she came in the room with drawings and a detailed personalized plan about how she would go about ‘curing me.’ Those were her words. I felt like I was going to be in good hands.”

During her first battle with cancer as a University of Florida student, Ms. Miransky underwent extensive treatment that included chemotherapy before and after surgery, a modified radical mastectomy, a stem cell transplant and 30 sessions of radiation therapy.

Fortunately, breast cancer treatment has advanced significantly since then. “Treatment approaches have evolved considerably,” notes Starr Mautner, M.D., the breast surgeon with Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute who performed Ms. Miransky’s second mastectomy on July 1. “We have new medications and we don’t do stem cell transplants for breast cancer anymore. They have proven there was no improved survival.”

Triple-negative breast cancers lack the receptors for the female hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as the receptor for the HER2-protein, making targeted treatment options unsuitable. Fortunately, says Dr. Matuner, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy has proven to be effective.

Choosing Her Own Path

So this time around, Ms. Miransky had chemotherapy prior to surgery that was less toxic to the rest of her body than her previous treatment, underwent a mastectomy and has decided not to have reconstruction.

“My priorities changed,” she says. “I was in my 20s before. I’m older now. My husband, Neil, who has been my anchor, and I discussed reconstruction. I expected to get some push back from the physicians, but I didn’t get that at all. They understood why I wasn’t interested in reconstruction and agreed to do an aesthetic flat closure.”

Alongside Dr. Mautner in the operating room, plastic surgeon Matthew Treiser, M.D., Ph.D., chief of microsurgery and extremity reconstruction at Miami Cancer Institute, removed excess skin and fat and created a naturally flat chest wall. In the near future, he will also be removing the implant in the other breast and performing an aesthetic flat closure on that side.

“Closing the area flat makes it as cosmetically pleasing as possible. This is becoming a more popular alternative for women who don’t want reconstruction,” Dr. Mautner says.

Ms. Miransky’s medical priorities weren’t the only ones that shifted. As she navigated her first recovery and launched a career in public relations, she gradually transitioned to the non-profit sector, eventually joining the American Cancer Society, where she worked on breast cancer programming and education.

A Career Change

That experience sparked a deeper interest in helping others, prompting her to return to school. The Fort Lauderdale resident earned her master’s in social work from Barry University in 2005 and is now a licensed clinical social worker at a large health system in Broward County. Over the years, she has worked in a variety of hospital settings, including oncology, trauma and the neonatal intensive care unit.

“I’ve really loved working in niche practices where I can get to know the patients, their families, the physicians and the staff,” she says. Currently completing her Ph.D. at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago, Ms. Miransky has found joy and satisfaction in her career.

Looking Ahead With Hope

“Alison has the soul of a fighter,” Dr. Carcas says. “Yes, she came in with plenty of trepidation. She has been through this before. But she’s doing great and part of this is due to her spirit.”

Fortunately, her latest test results show no signs of cancer. Because triple-negative breast cancers have a high chance of recurrence, Ms. Miransky will undergo radiation therapy under Ana Botero, M.D., a radiation oncologist with the Institute, and will take Keytruda for a year. Keytruda is an immunotherapy treatment that works with the immune system to kill any new cancer cells that may grow.

As a two-time cancer survivor, Ms. Miransky is looking forward to the years ahead. “I’ve been very lucky to have friends and family looking in on me and cheering me on,” she says. She also found the Breasties, a breast cancer support and advocacy group she now calls her tribe.

“Now my husband and I plan to do some traveling,” she says. “We are ready for some us time — and for more time with our dog, Henry, a 12-year-old Pekinese.”

Visit BaptistHealth.net/mammo to learn more or schedule your breast cancer screening this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”