Bridget Bahl is a content creator and founder of the women’s fashion brand, The Bar. In 2024, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began sharing her story on social media. Shortly after being declared cancer-free, Bahl’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In an interview with Newsweek, Bahl shared an update on her mother’s treatment and what they both hope other women learn from their family’s story. In 2024, my husband and I were one year into marriage; I had just bought out my company; and I was on my sixth round of in vitro fertilization. It was a really exciting moment in our lives—there was lots of pressure, but we were hopeful and happy.
I’d got married later in life, at 40, so that was a big part of what I talked about online before I got cancer. I’d tell women, “Don’t go marry someone because society says you’re old and you need a husband. Never settle.” Then one day in August, I felt something in my breast.
I asked my husband, who’s a plastic surgeon, “Can you feel this?” It was so far back, though, and I have dense breasts, so we weren’t sure. At my next fertility appointment, I brought it up, and the doctor ordered a mammogram. After that test, they asked me to stay for a biopsy, which isn’t normal.
I left there in a complete haze and really scared. I was diagnosed a few days later. I had a really tough time with chemotherapy.
I went into it positively, with an attitude of, “I’m gonna fight.” But it was a struggle the whole time: I was alarmed that I just could not feel any better. Going into medically-induced menopause overnight was so hard; I was in a really dark place. It took me a long time to get through the chemo because I had to take a break in between each round to gain weight.
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