Toni Bessonet never thought it would be her.

In 2023, after traveling to Europe for vacation, she lost weight rapidly. One evening, Bessonet rested a hand on her hip. She could feel a spongy mass.

She asked friends and family. They weren't concerned.

“I really didn’t think about it,” Bessonet said. “I really wish I thought about it a bit more. I regret that I wasn’t on top of it.”

A chance encounter with a friend on a walk — and a stop to pet the dog of an OB-GYN's father — changed her life.

She made an appointment that same morning and was preparing for a transvaginal ultrasound and blood work by 10 a.m. By 1 p.m., her doctor had called her back and told her to see an oncologist.

Three days later, Bessonet was in the waiting room at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge to see Dr. Ren

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