MADISON, Wis. — When you work in oncology, you’re trained to spot the signs of cancer in others.

For April Premo, those signs showed up in her own body — and changed her life in unexpected ways.

At just 28 years old, Premo, a longtime radiation therapist at UW Health, became a board-certified medical dosimetrist. She described her work simply.

“I design the plans for patients who are going through radiation therapy,” she said.

It was a personal dream that gave her focus, especially after her own shocking diagnosis.

“I felt it was really important for my mental and emotional well-being to have a goal to work towards,” she said.

While working alongside oncologists at the Carbone Cancer Center, she found herself becoming the patient. A strange symptom led her to seek answers.

“That my right breast was harder than my left breast,” she said.

There was no family history, but an ultrasound revealed Stage 3 estrogen-driven lobular cancer.

“Unfortunately, I had to deal with this a little bit earlier than most people,” Premo said. “Nobody gets through this life unscathed. We all have our thing.”

Her colleague, UW Health Carbone Cancer Center medical oncologist Dr. Marina Sharifi, soon became her doctor. Sharifi specializes in breast cancer. The two shared a heartbreaking conversation — one that touched on not only treatment but also Premo’s dreams of becoming a mother.

“Not only are you facing this really life-altering diagnosis, hearing about treatment that’s really going to disrupt your life and your work, but then you’re also, on top of that, having to make decisions about fertility,” said Sharifi.“Not only are you facing this really life-altering diagnosis, hearing about treatment that’s really going to disrupt your life and your work, but then you’re also, on top of that, having to make decisions about fertility,” said Sharifi.

While preparing for aggressive chemotherapy and surgery, Premo also underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF).

“Which in the moment felt like the longest, hardest thing I had ever done,” Premo said.

She said the outcome of that treatment was a blessing: four healthy embryos she shared in a gender reveal over TikTok.

“It’s really cute. And four boys! Oh, my God, that is crazy,” Sharifi said with a smile.

“I call them my ‘maybe babies,’” Premo said.

Now back at work, Premo applies a new level of empathy to every patient’s care plan.

“Now more than ever, I approach every single case that I make as if this were my plan,” she said.

As for her own treatment, she’s continuing imaging and medication, this time, with a renewed mindset.

“I choose to treat every day as a gift,” she said. “Rather than, ‘I have to do treatment, I have to take this medication,’ it’s ‘I get to.’”

Premo said she hopes her story inspires other young breast cancer patients and survivors. She’s chronicling her journey on TikTok and raising funds to support her future family through surrogacy.