Lemoine shares breast cancer story to spread awareness
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 14, 2025, 11:05 am
Ashley Bochek
Bernice Lemoine was diagnosed with Breast Cancer earlier this year. And now, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she wants to spread awareness for all women to regularly and actively get checked for the life-changing disease.
She shared her story in an interview with the World-Spectator. It follows below:
“I am 61 years old and I have no family history of breast cancer. I am from Moosomin. I worked at the South East Integrated Care Centre for 34 years. I have been diagnosed with triple negative stage three breast cancer. It has also spread to my lymph nodes,” said Lemoine.
Lemoine explains her first encounter with feeling an abnormal thickening in her breast earlier this year.
“We went on a holiday this February and I found a lump. It wasn’t really a lump it was kind of like a thickening. I want people to know, who think it is supposed to be a little circle, mine wasn’t, it was like a thickening just about the breast. I felt it in February, and I thought to myself, ‘Okay, I have my mammogram in May’ and I have gone every year for 10 years, and then three days before my mammogram they cancelled it for some reason.
“A friend and I go every year, one year in Regina and then the next year in Moosomin. I called the lady after finding out my mammogram was cancelled and that is when she told me I’d have to talk to my family doctor. So, I called Dr. Erika, and I had to wait two weeks to get into her which I thought was fine. Then, I saw Dr. Erika and she said, ‘We have to go somewhere quickly—do you mind going to Moose Jaw?’
“Moose Jaw then phoned me and they booked my appointment for June 13 which I didn’t know at the time when I booked it that it was Friday the 13th. I went to that appointment, and I didn’t have a good feeling that day. I had my mammogram done there and then I was told they wanted me to have an ultrasound and then they said, ‘The doctor is not in, but he is coming in for you’ and right then I knew it was probably breast cancer because he came in and I asked him right away. He replied, ‘Yes, we suspect it is’ and then they did a biopsy. Moose Jaw is a very good place to go, you get in quick, and they are very efficient there. After the biopsy I went home knowing I had breast cancer.”
She says it came as a shock. “There is no family history of breast cancer in my family, so I was shocked finding out. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I am very active. It was very surprising so if you think it can’t happen to you, it can.”
Thankful for her local doctor
Lemoine says she has started treatment for her breast cancer and is travelling for appointments.
“I have started treatment. First, I had to wait for Dr. Erika to call me. I really can’t stress enough how great Dr. Erika was. She was called away on a family emergency before, so I got a phone call the next Monday morning after my trip to Moose Jaw. It was a call from South Africa and it was Dr. Erika letting me know of my diagnosis and the next steps.
“She made sure to call me and explained that she was getting all the treatments lined up for me when she was across the world and going through her own struggles. I want to thank her very much for all of that.
“I have to go to Regina once a week, every week, for three months. I would love to see it be able to be in Moosomin. It is very important for people to have the treatment at home. I know we have very good, very sincere, very well-trained doctors, and pharmacists that could help provide that care in Moosomin.”
Life-changing moment
Lemoine says her cancer has not spread to another part of her body.
“It was scary. It was very upsetting. My whole family—my daughter just got married in September. All I wanted was to be well enough to be at her wedding. It was really hard.
“You have to get right into treatments. After I was diagnosed on Friday, June 13, Dr. Erika got me a CT Scan in Yorkton so most of July was travelling to all of these appointments. I had to go to Regina for an MRI, and then I had to go for a bone scan to see if the cancer had gotten into my bones—which it didn’t, thank god. It is in my lymph nodes and breast.
“Since June I have to go to Regina for these treatments. The other week I was supposed to go, but my numbers were kind of off so I had to cancel which I wasn’t too unhappy because it was two weeks before my daughter’s wedding and two weeks off before the wedding so I thought it would help me feel relaxed and good so I would have some energy for the wedding.”
Thankful for support system
Lemoine says she is grateful for her family and friends during this difficult journey.
“It is scary to not know what is going to happen. I am thankful for my husband, my kids, my grandchildren. I have very good supportive family and friends. Like if my husband can’t take me for a trip to Regina for an appointment, I have friends and my sister that take me if I need. I have really good support.”
Spreading awareness
Lemoine wants to let other women know the importance of actively checking their breasts and knowing their body.
“The reason why I want to do this story is because when I did decide to start telling people about my cancer, I was at the pool this summer with my granddaughter and talking to a lady I knew for a long time.
“She said, ‘You know I have been meaning to go, but just haven’t gone’ and she actually messaged me to say, ‘Thank you so much for telling me your story.
Because of you, I am on my way to Regina to get my mammogram done’ and I thought to myself, ‘I just told one person so what if we did a story on this so people could read and learn from it.’ Even if they don’t think it is anything they should go to the doctor and get regular check-ups.
“The mistake I made was waiting. You should never wait. I felt it in February, and I should’ve gone right away. You don’t wait for when your next mammogram appointment may be coming, you need go right away. You know your body and you should go right away.
“I think if you feel something that you don’t normally feel—start to know your breasts if you haven’t checked and if you feel something you are unsure of it is just safe to go to the doctor. Don’t wait like me. I want to get the word out and try to tell people to just go and get them checked out.”
She adds, “I have learned that the Allen Blair Breast Cancer in Regina is unreal and amazing. When you first get diagnosed, they give you a team—you get your oncologist, your surgeon, you get a nurse that you can phone when you’re having problems and it is just amazing how good they are.”
Positive thinking
Lemoine says she is focused on thinking positively about her diagnosis.
“I don’t want the negative to overtake my thinking. I have to live for my grandchildren and children.
“My husband is planning to retire next year so I try to not let the negative thoughts creep in—but they do. I have had bad days, really bad days.
You always have to go through your bloodwork at the hospital before you can go for your treatment and the other week, I asked my husband to drive me because I wasn’t feeling good enough to drive and this is probably the reason why—my bloodwork came back and most of it was below normal so that is why they wouldn’t give me my treatment that time.
“I said to my surgeon, ‘Why me?’ There is no family history, I don’t drink or smoke, and she said, ‘Bad things happen to good people.’ ”
Lemoine adds, “I hope to help other people and just to get the word out there to go and get looked at—I’ve already helped one person to go and get their mammogram. Breast Cancer Awareness month is this October and I think it is very important to keep the word going and tell women to get checked for young and old. I have joined some online Breast Cancer groups, most of them are in the States, and a lot of young people—that is one positive thing I have is I am not dealing with little ones running around while fighting Breast Cancer.
“I am not sure how a person would get through that. They would have to have a really good support system because that would be very hard. So, I am glad that I don’t have really young children at home, and that I have a very good support system. My husband is very good at looking after me and my kids.”
She says our community should be proud of the hardworking doctors and their care for their patients.
“I just want to make sure everyone knows how lucky we are for our doctors in Moosomin and how good Dr. Erika was with arranging my treatments and appointments while away in South Africa and dealing with her own personal things.
“I also want to thank my husband, Kevin, and my kids, family and friends for the support.
“It can be a very lonely fight and so if you’re reading this and a have a friend or family member who is fighting something take them out for coffee, send a text or just check in on them, all of that is very important to somebody.”
