Bethesda, Maryland. (November 1, 2024): It is a diagnosis all women dread and survival sometimes depends on just plain intuition. In the photo above, Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Sayers poses with her husband Major Shannon Beers while on a walk. In April 2023, Sayers, an Airman with nearly eighteen years of service, was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Thus began her valiant struggle with this rare and extremely aggressive disease aided by her loving husband and military “family.” 

According to the Army, Sayers was just 37 years old when she received her diagnosis, below the age range for regular mammograms, and had no family history of breast cancer. She discovered a lump in her breast and, going with her intuition, sought out medical care that confirmed her worst fears.  

Considered the most aggressive of breast cancers, Triple Negative carcinoma tends to grow and spread more quickly than other types. Overall, about 60% of people with triple-negative breast cancer will survive more than 5 years without disease, but four out of ten women will have it come back quickly. 

Sayers was immediately referred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where she began an intense treatment regimen at the Murtha Cancer Center. Her husband, an Air National Guard Major, was granted permission from his command to work from home so he could help her through her chemotherapy treatments. It has been over a year since Sayers received her diagnosis and so far her cancer is in remission. Sayers knows the battle is not over and urges all women to get regular checkups and trust their intuition when they sense something is wrong. She also expressed gratitude to her military family for supporting her throughout her ordeal.