Mother of 3 receives stage 4 cancer diagnosis after first mammogram (Exclusive)

In October 2021, content creator Nasreen Shahi underwent what she thought was a standard test. This is my first mammogram at age 40.

Like many women, she had no particular family history and expected to see a doctor right away and get a medical report. Instead, her world was turned upside down when doctors delivered the devastating news that she had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

“It was literally the biggest shock of our lives. Like, we never saw it coming,” Shahi exclusively tells PEOPLE. “At the time, I thought I was, but I was very healthy, very busy, very energetic. I was doing everything I normally do. So when I found out, I could hardly believe it.”

The cancer had already spread to her liver, so Shahi found herself in the chemotherapy chair just two weeks after her initial diagnosis, beginning an intense and uncertain journey she never expected.

“I thought I was invincible. I never imagined I would be in a place like this,” she recalls. “This has never happened in a million years. You could never have convinced me otherwise. I was perfectly healthy.”

With little time to process the diagnosis or seek a second opinion, Shahi decided to trust her doctor and immediately contacted a recommended oncologist.

Given that her cancer was hormonally driven (estrogen positive, progesterone positive, HER2 positive), Shahi required immediate aggressive treatment.

She began six rounds of chemotherapy over 18 weeks. This is a combination of three drugs given every three weeks. During treatment, she used cold capping to preserve her hair, but still lost about 60%.

Shahi, a mother of three, went on autopilot and focused on staying organized and living each day as efficiently as possible.

“It was almost like checking a box. Okay, first we have to put the port in. Okay, next we need to start the chemotherapy. Okay, next we’re going to do radiation. Okay, next is surgery,” she explains. “I had to think of it like a checklist to stay alive.”

Shahi underwent a double mastectomy, deep flap reconstruction, and an oophorectomy to remove her ovaries to block the hormones that drive the disease.

“When they suggested it, I thought, ‘Yeah, let’s do whatever it takes. Let’s be as aggressive as we can to make this a thing of the past,'” she said.

“So we did all that, and then we had 28 radiation treatments. And then we went right back to immunotherapy, which is something I’ve basically been on and off for the past three years.”

She is currently classified as No Evidence of Disease (NED), meaning all detectable signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared, making her hopeful but cautious.

“Maintenance therapy for most metastatic breast cancers is indefinite; there is no end point,” Shahi explains.

“Someone explained this to me years ago, and I’ve always tried to remind myself this, that metastatic cancer is like a monkey,” she says. “You’re swinging from branch to branch, and you want to hang on to that branch as long as possible, so you want to use that treatment for as long as possible.”

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Shahi continues to undergo immunotherapy and remains determined to stay healthy, given the challenges of managing the many side effects of treatments and medications.

Her cancer was estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 positive, so she takes aromatase inhibitors daily to block estrogen, which will lead to full menopause in her early 40s.

“Joint pain, fatigue, just feeling tired, all of that, and one thing that’s life-changing. It’s not groundbreaking, but everyone should be doing it. But it’s staying active,” Shahi emphasizes. “That was the biggest game changer for me.”

The busy mom maintains a routine of walking three to four miles and strength training at least three times a week. Regular exercise helped relieve joint pain, boost energy, and protect bone health throughout menopause.

While physical activity has helped her recover physically, she credits her support system with keeping her spirits up every step of the journey.

“I truly believe that cancer is a family diagnosis. Cancer is not a one-man show,” she says. “It really takes a village, and I’m so lucky to have that support. Not just my husband and my kids, but my sisters, my parents, my in-laws, everyone, and their support got us through everything.”

Shahi believes that maintaining a positive mindset has helped her get through her toughest days. “You have to be mentally strong or this is going to be a really tough game,” she says.

After receiving her diagnosis, the content creator admitted she wasn’t sure whether to continue working.

“I was like, no one wants to see me with no eyelashes and hair falling out. This is not what I started out with, this is not why people follow me, and still no one is going to take my advice,” she tells PEOPLE.

But she was pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support from the online community she had built over the years.

“Obviously my family and my kids as well, but I think they are the reason I stay so positive,” she says. “They were really encouraging, very positive, and it was like they rallied around me and supported my page even more. So it gave me even more reason to come back to social media every day and want to share.”

Even though she only had a few eyelashes left, Shahi was determined to stay confident and show her followers who are facing similar health challenges that they can also feel empowered.

“In terms of raising awareness, I honestly didn’t even know what kind of impact this was going to have,” Shahi says. Hundreds of women told the content creator that her story inspired them to get mammograms, leading to early detection of cancer they might have missed.

When advising or supporting women who have been diagnosed with cancer, Shahi admits it can be difficult.

“You’re basically giving up a year of your life, going through absolute hell, and coming back to get the rest of your life back. Think of this as a checklist and go through each process,” she says. “Your only job is to survive each step of this process. Stay positive, because you are much stronger than you think. And you can do it.”