Amber, Stephanie and Sarah survive and thrive together
October 17, 2025By: Kim Shopper
Categories: Women's Health, We are NKC Health, Patient Stories, Cancer
When Amber Myers, an Infusion Center RN, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the early age of 35, she never imagined her two sisters, Stephanie Reifert and Sarah Adair, would face the same diagnosis within a few short years. What began as Amber’s fight became a shared journey of courage, advocacy and hope that forever changed their lives and their careers.
It started with Amber
Amber’s story began in 2020, when she noticed what looked like a small bruise on her left breast.
“It didn’t look like a typical lump,” she recalled. “I almost ignored it, but something told me to speak up.”
When her doctor’s office offered an appointment in three months, she trusted her instincts and went to a different provider. That decision may have saved her life.
By the time Amber’s previous three-month appointment rolled around, she already knew her diagnosis, had received a total mastectomy and started treatment.
“If I had waited, I probably would have been stage 4,” she said. Instead, she was diagnosed at stage 3. She received chemotherapy and radiation therapy along with multiple reconstructive surgeries.
Her diagnosis not only changed her life but also her career path. She transferred from the inpatient cancer unit to the Infusion Center where she underwent her own treatment, often for several hours a day.
“I now care for patients walking the same path I once did,” Amber said. “The nurses who treated me became like family. They saved my life. Now I get to pay that forward.”
Like many cancer survivors, Amber worries about her cancer returning, especially when caring for a patient with a recurring diagnosis.
“Sometimes, I use the drive home to separate my personal journey from my patient’s journey," she said. “It’s easy for the boundaries to get mixed.”
Outside of work, Amber focuses on her 12-year-old son, Gunnar, and her life as a five-year cancer survivor and thriver.
From bald to Prince Charming: Stephanie’s story
Two years after Amber’s diagnosis, her older sister Stephanie, a pharmacy technician, was diagnosed at age 44. Because of her sister’s experience, Stephanie began early mammograms every six months. That vigilance made all the difference.
“They found it early, before it spread to my lymph nodes, which was huge,” she said. “Early detection saved me.”
Stephanie underwent chemotherapy and a total mastectomy. Ironically, Amber cared for Stephanie during her infusions.
“It was a baby sister’s dream to poke her older sister with needles,” Amber laughed.
Stephanie said she's now come full circle. The caregivers who once stood by her side during treatment are now her colleagues and friends — her hospital family. To her, they'll always be heroes.
“My experience as a patient changed my life. Everyone in the Infusion Center was so supportive and amazing," she said. “I knew I wanted to work with them and make a difference in people’s lives.”
Stephanie’s sisters recruited her two years ago to join the health system. It didn’t take much coaxing. Today, she works with Amber in the Infusion Center as a pharmacy tech III. She assists patients in obtaining the medications they need.
Now cancer free, Stephanie shares her life with Jeremy, her fiancé, and son, Gavin, now 28, and daughter-in-law, Carson.
“Who knew I would find someone when I was bald?" Stephanie laughed. “I found my Prince Charming.”
“Sometimes life's hardest journeys bring the most blessings,” she added.
A full life for Sarah
In 2023, middle sister, Sarah, an LPN and pharmacy tech III in the Cancer Center, became the last diagnosed.
“After watching both my sisters go through breast cancer, I wanted a double mastectomy to prevent it, but insurance wouldn’t cover it. I felt I was just waiting to be diagnosed,” Sarah explained.
Just four months later, Sarah found a lump and was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 40. Doctors found two different types of breast cancer — one in each breast.
Like her sisters, she underwent a total mastectomy and chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
“When you reflect back on something that felt so negative at first, you start to see all the blessings that came from it,” Sarah said with a smile.
One of Sarah's greatest blessings is time with Jeff, her husband of 17 years, and their six-year-old son, Ethan.
“For his entire life, my son has watched his aunts and me go through treatment,” Sarah said. “Cancer has touched our family in many ways and has reminded us what is truly important in life.”
What can you do during Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
- Schedule your mammogram — it could save your life. Start at age 40 or earlier if you have risk factors. Talk with your provider. NKC Health employees and the community can schedule screening mammograms without a physical referral at nkchealth.org/Mammo.
- Speak up and advocate for yourself. You know your body better than anyone else.
- Support those in treatment with compassion — you never know the battles someone may be facing.
