Buffalo Woman Beats Breast Cancer, Finds Help for Hidden Fears

When Cindy Mantai heard the words "cancer-free" last November, she didn't feel relief. She felt terror.

The 63-year-old Buffalo proposal manager had just reached the exact age her mother was when breast cancer returned and took her life. Even though her doctor assured her the risk was extremely low, the fear felt suffocating.

Cindy's breast cancer journey began in 2016 with a routine mammogram, eerily similar to her mother's diagnosis years earlier. After a lumpectomy and radiation, she spent five years on medication and getting checked every six months.

But when treatment ended, a different challenge began. "I felt lost," Cindy says. Her mother's cancer had returned ten years after her first diagnosis, and Cindy couldn't shake the question: Would history repeat itself?

That's when Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Survivorship program stepped in. Clinical social worker Michael Maher began meeting with Cindy for counseling, helping her develop coping strategies for the anxiety that treatment never addressed.

"It's not unusual for survivors to experience grief, loss, anger or depression," Maher explains. "Many worry, asking, 'Is this going to happen again?'"

The program offers more than just medical surveillance. Survivors receive personalized care plans that include physical exams, screenings, and wellness services like nutrition counseling, rehabilitation therapy, and mindfulness training.

Sunny's Take

What makes Cindy's story so moving is how it reveals cancer's invisible chapter. Survivorship isn't just about staying healthy; it's about learning to live without fear controlling your story. When Cindy turned 63, the same age her mother passed away, counseling helped her reframe that milestone from something frightening into something meaningful.

During a choral festival on her 63rd birthday, Cindy felt gratitude instead of dread. "I felt grateful that I had this opportunity and that I had my mom in my life," she says. "She was such a great person."

The program serves any cancer survivor, regardless of where they received treatment, across five Western New York locations. It extends support to families and caregivers too, recognizing that healing often requires more than medicine.

As Cindy looks toward retirement, she knows continuing support will be there when she needs it, turning her mother's memory from a source of fear into one of strength.