Howland nurse battles rare form of breast cancer, pushes for awareness

HOWLAND, Ohio - A local nurse is turning her own breast cancer diagnosis into a mission to help other women recognize the signs of a rare and aggressive disease.

Earlier this year, Anna Rager, 49, was diagnosed with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Unlike more common forms of breast cancer, IBC doesn’t always appear as a lump. Instead, symptoms can include swelling, redness, skin thickening and an inverted nipple.

“Well, one Saturday morning, I was doing my usual cleaning, went to go get in the shower and just getting dressed, and I looked down, and I'm like, well, this doesn't look right,” Rager recalled.

At first, doctors misdiagnosed her with mastitis, an infection. But when her symptoms didn’t improve, she continued to push for more tests. A biopsy and scans eventually co