Former Toronto Sceptres goalie Erica Howe was at work in early July when she first noticed the lump in her breast.
She was at the Mississauga fire station where she’d been a full-time firefighter since her retirement from professional hockey, wiping her shirt when she noticed it.
“I was honestly brushing some jelly doughnut dust off,” Howe said. “And I was like, ‘Oh that’s weird.’”
She wasn’t worried about it at first; a quick Google search told her that it’s not uncommon for women in their thirties to get breast lumps. But at the urging of former teammates and friends — along with her wife, Kelley — Howe agreed to see her doctor.
On Aug. 26, at 32 years old, Howe was diagnosed with stage two invasive ductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer that she later found had spread to her lymph nodes. In September, she had the lump removed, and later found the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, which meant chemotherapy would be required.
“I had plans for this year. Maybe I’d play forward in a Senior A (hockey) league. Maybe be the Toronto Sceptres’ emergency backup if they needed me to. My wife and I were trying to get pregnant,” Howe said. “I can’t do these things: I physically can’t, I mentally can’t.
“I think that is one of the most…
