Her Mammogram Was Normal — Seven Tumors Were Still Growing Inside Her

A Clear Scan That Wasn't the Whole Story

Dani Kurtz was weeks away from her scheduled mammogram when she noticed a lump in her right armpit in January 2025. She went in for her screening, hoping for reassurance. She got it — at first. Her mammogram came back normal, but the lump still concerned her. That instinct to keep pushing may have saved her life.

Although her initial mammogram returned normal results, she remained concerned because women who have dense breast tissue are often told that standard mammograms may not catch tumors that are present. Dense breast tissue makes cancer harder to see because both the dense tissue and the tumors appear white on the scan. Kurtz knew this. And she refused to let a clean report be the final word.

Seven Tumors, One Relentless Patient

With a family history that included her mother's recent breast cancer diagnosis, Kurtz pursued additional testing. An ultrasound and an MRI revealed seven tumors across both breasts, and a biopsy confirmed the malignancy. That was the day she heard those words: "You have cancer."

Formerly a labor and delivery nurse at Utah Valley Hospital under Intermountain Healthcare, Kurtz transitioned into human resources for the same health system and suddenly found herself moving from the role of caregiver to that of patient. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy followed by 16 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, completing her treatment in late 2025. The road was grueling, but she made it through. "It did come to an end — there was a day when I didn't think it would, but it did," she said.

The Message She Wants Every Woman to Hear

Now on the other side of treatment, Kurtz is speaking out — not from a place of fear, but from hard-won experience. "As women and moms and wives, we often pour our energy into caring for everyone else. And sometimes we neglect ourselves," she said. "In addition to getting mammograms and other screenings, it's just important to know our bodies."

"Talk with your doctor, and they'll ask you more questions and decide if anything needs to be looked into," she said. It's a deceptively simple piece of advice, but one that can make an enormous difference. "We have a saying in our family that we can become bitter or we can become better for what we go through," she said.

Utah's Screening Gap — and What's Being Done

Kurtz's story lands against a troubling backdrop. Utah's breast cancer screening rates are significantly below the national average — only 63.8% of Utah women aged 40 or older have had a mammogram in the last two years, compared with 68.2% of U.S. women. Utah currently ranks 44th in the nation for mammography screenings. The state aims to increase breast cancer screening to 81% by 2030.

"Mammography saves lives. We see it every day," said Dr. Jonathan Shakespear, the medical director at Intermountain Medical Center's Breast Care Center. He also wants women who have fallen behind on screenings to know there's no shame in catching up. "Some women feel a little sheepish if it's been a couple of years coming in to get a mammogram. Getting mammograms infrequently is better than getting mammograms not at all." Intermountain Health has introduced an online scheduling tool that lets women compare available screening mammogram appointments at nearby facilities and book online, and Shakespear said the tool may help women find an appointment sooner by looking beyond their usual location.

Dani Kurtz's story is a reminder that a normal result isn't always the full picture — and that the most powerful thing a woman can do is trust her body, ask the hard questions, and refuse to stop until she has real answers.