Caroline de Vaulx had done what she was supposed to do. She led a healthy lifestyle and kept up with her yearly mammograms. So when she felt a lump in her breast at 48, the discovery stopped her cold.
The Huntington Beach resident urgently began searching online for an oncologist, and City of Hope kept appearing at the top of the results. It almost seemed too obvious, she recalled. But when a community health care provider told her she would have to wait four months for an appointment, she made one more call.
Soon, de Vaulx was at City of Hope’s Irvine academic research campus meeting surgical oncologist Jennifer Tseng, M.D., the medical director of breast surgery at City of Hope Orange County and an associate clinical professor of breast surgery at City of Hope. The swiftness of that first appointment brought relief. The conversation brought something more: trust.
“I met with Dr. Tseng, and she was just amazing. I felt so much better after seeing her,” de Vaulx said. “I really felt listened to and confident that she was going to guide me in this journey.”
Diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer, de Vaulx underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and a month of radiation therapy. The road was not always easy, but she successfully completed treatment in July 2023 and has remained in remission.
Through it all, de Vaulx leaned on her City of Hope doctors, her husband, her two children and her friends. Then, from an unexpected place, came another lifeline.
Shortly after de Vaulx’s diagnosis, a neighbor revealed that she, too, was a breast cancer survivor. She handed de Vaulx a flyer for the Los Angeles Pink Dragons, California’s first breast cancer survivor dragon boat racing team. Once de Vaulx was recovering, she went to a few practices. Before long, she was part of the crew.
Dragon boating demands unity. About 20 paddlers sit side by side, moving in rhythm to propel the boat forward. For de Vaulx, that feeling of many people pulling together carried a deeper meaning. She has traveled across the country to compete with the Pink Dragons, and the team recently joined thousands of breast cancer survivors at an international dragon boat festival in France.
“We all went through breast cancer, so being together and sharing this story, it’s like we are all in the same boat,” de Vaulx said. “I found this kind of second life after breast cancer, because I discovered this community with these women on my team.”
The team includes more than 50 people ranging in age from 25 to 85. When a 25-year-old paddler joined, de Vaulx was stunned. It reinforced the message she now wants others to hear: Keep up with screenings, pay attention to changes and speak up when something does not feel right.
“If you feel that something is wrong, even if you’re young, just trust yourself,” de Vaulx said.
For de Vaulx, moving forward has become something she can feel: a paddle in her hands, teammates beside her and a boat surging ahead because everyone is pulling in the same direction.
When we paddle together, there is a magical moment when everyone on the boat is moving in sync,” says de Vaulx. “I can feel the same energy at City of Hope. Extraordinary teams moving as one to heal patients with cancer. It feels like hope, and it’s real.”
Ending Cancer Starts with Hope. City of Hope Orange County offers convenient access to mammograms, among the most effective tests for detecting breast cancer early, when it is most treatable. To make an appointment at any of City of Hope’s Orange County locations, call 888-333-HOPE (4673).
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