Phoenix woman's years-long battle with breast cancer: 'Determined to Live'

Arizona woman beats breast cancer three times

For Valley mother and grandmother Robin Chesbro, the statistic that nearly 1 in 8 women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis became a triple reality over three decades. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach has more on her story.

PHOENIX - For Valley mother and grandmother Robin Chesbro, the statistic that nearly 1 in 8 women will receive a breast cancer diagnosis became a triple reality over three decades.

The backstory:

Chesbro, a certified scuba instructor, golfer and author, received her first diagnosis in 2004. It returned a decade later, and just before the holidays in 2024, she was diagnosed a third time.

"I was definitely shocked. I got the news three days before Thanksgiving, and I was expecting 20 people for dinner," Chesbro said.

She immediately made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy to ensure she would have "the long, full life that I wanted to enjoy with my beautiful daughters, grandchildren."

Dig deeper:

Her oncologist, Dr. Brittany Murphy, a breast surgical oncologist at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, noted that while Chesbro tested negative for the BRCA gene and 71 other cancer types, her case highlights that 80% of diagnoses happen just by chance.

Dr. Murphy stressed that while diagnoses are rising, particularly among younger women, detection is key to survival. "The earlier we detect it, the easier the treatment will be and the more curable the cancer is," she said.

Just 10 months after her surgery, Chesbro is back to her active life of golf and pickleball. She hopes her story of determination, joy and hope helps other women realize they aren't alone.

The team at Banner M.D. Anderson is urging women to perform self-exams and keep up with annual screenings. They are working to increase access to mammograms via their mobile unit, the "Big Pink Bus," which travels throughout the Phoenix metro area.