How do you prepare for a surgery that changes both your body and your future? 

In this episode of One of Eight, Jill faces the reality of her diagnosis head-on. After learning she has stage zero breast cancer hidden within branching papillomas, she begins preparing for a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Before she can even fully prepare for surgery, a frightening complication from her lumpectomy sends her to the ER. 

With surgery only days away, Jill is navigating major decisions around reconstruction, recovery, future treatments, and preparing for the biggest surgery of her life.

At the same time, she’s reflecting on fear, body image, fertility, future plans, and the overwhelming realization that life now has a clear “before” and “after.”

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What if the thing meant to give you peace of mind…changes everything instead?

In this episode of One of Eight, Jill prepares for surgery with cautious relief. After being told her biopsy results were benign, the plan feels straightforward: remove the problem area to stop the discharge and move on. But as the process unfolds, from seed placement to surgery and a difficult recovery, things don’t go as expected.

Complications arise. Healing doesn’t go smoothly. And when pathology results from surgery come back earlier than planned, Jill is faced with a diagnosis she wasn’t prepared for

.

This episode marks a turning point.

What was supposed to be the end of one chapter…becomes the beginning of something much bigger.

Sources & Additional Information:

Canadian Cancer Society Information on DCIS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you do when you’re told there’s a 50–95% chance it could be cancer…

but no one can actually tell you what it is yet?

In Episode 4 of One of Eight, Jill moves from uncertainty into something heavier. We follow Jill through her biopsy, a traumatic physical experience, and the mental toll of waiting for answers that still aren’t clear. After her MRI is flagged as highly suspicious, she’s left trying to understand her results on her own while preparing for the next step. 

As the waiting continues, Jill reaches a breaking point.

The anxiety she’s been pushing through is no longer manageable.

For the first time, she asks for help and makes the choice to take control of her mental health before what comes next.

This part of the story isn’t about answers. It’s about getting through the not knowing.

Resources:

BI-RADS classification system: https://www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/breast-cancer/diagnosis-and-detection/mammography/results-bi-rads

Core needle & vacuum-assisted biopsy: https://cancer.ca/en/treatments/tests-and-procedures/core-biopsy

Follow One Of Eight on Instagram: @oneofeightpodcast

**The experiences shared in this podcast reflect personal journeys navigating healthcare, in Nova Scotia, and may not represent all systems or outcomes. This podcast is based on lived experience and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the waiting suddenly starts moving faster?

In Episode 3 of One of Eight, Jill finally meets with a surgeon and begins what she hopes will be the final steps toward answers. What she expects to be routine follow-ups quickly turns into something more serious. A breast MRI scheduled within days, new symptoms emerging, and the growing sense that something bigger may be unfolding.

As Jill navigates the appointment at the IWK Breast Health Clinic and prepares for her first MRI, the uncertainty that defined the last episode starts to shift.

Her intuition keeps whispering that something isn’t right. Her anxiety keeps spiraling through worst-case scenarios. And life continues moving around her as she tries to stay busy, host events, and keep the fear from taking over.

This episode explores what it feels like when uncertainty starts to escalate:

The strange feeling of tests suddenly moving faster.

The tension between intuition and anxiety.

The ways we keep functioning while quietly falling apart inside.

And the moment when a late-night phone call changes the trajectory of everything.

For Jill, the MRI results bring a new phrase into the conversation and with it, the realization that the next step will be a biopsy.

Sometimes the scariest moment isn’t the diagnosis. It’s the moment you realize the story might be heading there.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if something is wrong… but no one can tell you what it is?

In Episode 2 of One of Eight, Jill enters the healthcare system and quickly learns that getting answers isn’t just about showing up. It’s about calling back. Following up. Asking again. Advocating harder.

After being told she’s “too young,” Jill navigates referrals sent by fax, a missing appointment, weeks of silence, and the emotional toll of not knowing. When she finally walks into the IWK for diagnostic imaging, she undergoes an ultrasound and mammogram, only to leave with more questions than answers.

This episode explores what it feels like to live inside uncertainty:

The frustration of being dismissed.

The exhaustion of self-advocacy.

The anxiety that fuels follow-ups.

And the quiet terror of imagining worst-case scenarios while still trying to host events, show up for friends, and live your life.

It’s about learning that waiting is not passive. It’s work.

And sometimes, the most important voice in the room has to be your own.

Follow One Of Eight on Instagram: @oneofeightpodcast

Resources:

https://cancer.ca/

https://www.densebreastscanada.ca

https://iwkhealth.ca/

About Mammograms - Canadian Cancer Society

NS Breast Screening Program - Imaging Guidelines

**The experiences shared in this podcast reflect personal journeys navigating healthcare, in Nova Scotia, and may not represent all systems or outcomes. This podcast is based on lived experience and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At 29 years old, breast cancer wasn’t something Jill thought about.

She was rebuilding her life after leaving a toxic job, managing PCOS, planning community events, traveling to concerts, and figuring out who she wanted to become. Then one morning, something felt off.

In this first episode of One of Eight, we don’t begin with a diagnosis. We begin with the spiral that comes before it. The Google searches. The second-guessing. The anxiety of waiting a month for a doctor’s appointment. The quiet frustration of being told she was “too young.”

This episode explores early warning signs, intuition, and what it feels like to live in the in-between when your body is telling you something, but you don’t yet have answers.

It’s about the moment before everything changes, and the emotional weight of noticing the first sign that something might be wrong.

Resources:

https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/breast/statistics

https://www.densebreastscanada.ca/breast-cancer-screening-in-nova-scotia/

Follow One Of Eight on Instagram: @oneofeightpodcast

**The experiences shared in this podcast reflect personal journeys navigating healthcare, in Nova Scotia, and may not represent all systems or outcomes. This podcast is based on lived experience and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As of 2025, one in eight women in Canada will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. This podcast is the story of just one of those women. 

Jillian Wagner is a community builder and event planner based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who was diagnosed with DCIS (Stage Zero) breast cancer at 30 years old. This series follows her real-time journey through the diagnosis, from the first undeniable symptoms, to navigating referrals, tests, waiting rooms, and lead-up to a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Jill shares what it’s actually like to move through the healthcare system while still building her life and showing up for work, friends, and the world.

You’ll hear her honest thoughts about self advocacy, mental health, and the frustration of being told “you are too young”

This is a story about a path you never planned to walk and the reminder that you do not have to walk it alone.

**The experiences shared in this podcast reflect personal journeys navigating healthcare, in Nova Scotia, and may not represent all systems or outcomes. This podcast is based on lived experience and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.