ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Tuesday was the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness month, but it’s not the last day that people living with the illness need your help and support. A young, single mother from Hilton with uncurable breast cancer is working to spread awareness about metastatic disease. 

A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association shows all cancers are on the rise for younger women, particularly women under the age of 50. Brianna Minarik is living that statistic as a young, single mom with breast cancer that is treatable but no longer curable. 

Brianna has a 5-year-old son named Ryder.

“He’s literally like the most loving little boy, I mean he’s so caring and he helps me so much,” she tells News10NBC. 

It’s just the two of them, so when Brianna started having arm pain a little more than a year ago, it took her a few days to get to the hospital. 

Within hours, she learned she had a tumor.

“I remember waking up out of the surgery where they were finding out if it was cancer or not and I remember my mom and my best friend Kim, they were crying and I remember just crying with them because I just knew that it was bad,” Brianna recalls.

The arm tumor was actually secondary to the source of i

“I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer at 28 years old,” Brianna says. 

Metastatic means the breast cancer has spread too far so it can only be managed, not cured. Brianna has tumors in the arm, her hips, tailbone, chest and her breast. Originally, she was given a year to live.

“I have already been through 24 rounds of radiation on my hips and my arm,” Brianna says. 

That bought her some time, her prognosis has been extended to five years. 

Brianna and Ryder are doing the best they can to make the most out of every day.

“I cherish life so much more, I cherish my relationship with my son so much more,” she says. “It’s been 11 months and it’s been a long ride, but I’m ready to keep fighting for more years.”

A recent study found that the five-year survival rate of women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer is increasing and some women may even live for 10 years or more after being diagnosed, especially women between the ages of 15-39. 

Brianna is hoping those odds are in her favor.

“It’s not easy, but we get through day to day, together,” she says.

GoFundMe Page for Brianna and Ryder here.

A benefit for Brianna and Ryder is being held Sunday, November 26 at White House Lodge, 1100 Lake Road, Webster, NY 14580.  Tickets and to RSVP here or call 585-698-5767.