CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — It’s the phrase no one ever wants to hear — “You have cancer.”

For 45-year-old Krista Vallandingham, those three words changed everything.

“The first four days were like a literal living nightmare,” Vallandingham said. “When I could sleep I would wake up and immediately remember that it was real.”

Vallandingham was diagnosed with Her2-positive breast cancer, a fast-growing subtype that can be difficult to treat. She describes it as uncharted waters — with no map to follow.

“There's a long gap often between diagnosis and starting your treatment and I found that that was the most anxiety-producing time,” she said.

That anxiety is something doctors at CAMC Cancer Center see every day — and it’s why they spend so much time encouraging patients to stay engaged in their treatment and never skip appointments.

“We know one in eight 13% of all women regardless of your family history will develop breast cancer in their lifetime,” CAMC Breast Cancer Director Melissa Bohan said. “We actually diagnose more people without a family history than those that do have a family history.”

According to federal funding and cancer research, the federal government cut approximately $2.7 billion in NIH funding in 2025 for cancer research. That's around 31% compared to 2024.

Dr. Sarah Setran, senior psychologist at CAMC Cancer Center, says many mental health programs are now being stretched thin. All year long, she works to make sure patients and their families have support, organizing events like a fashion show for cancer patients and survivors.

She worries how these cuts would impact patients' mental health.

“I do individual, group, family, couples therapy for people who are going through their cancer journey,” Setran said. “We have a breast group. This January we're starting a caregiver group and one for men, a general cancer for men and a general cancer for women.”

Experts say emotional care is just as vital as medical treatment, and without it, recovery can be much harder, and hope can fade.

Patients can lose access to trials, to counseling, and to the resources that help them stay strong through their fight.

“It's a roller coaster ride for everybody but we are there to help them,” Bohan said. “We have navigators that are a point of contact for every patient that they can help make sure they're getting to their appointments making sure they're getting the right imaging that they need.”

Even with the future uncertain, oncology teams across West Virginia say they will continue pushing for renewed funding to keep programs like these alive and give patients like Vallandingham the emotional strength to keep fighting.

“Cancer does give you a new perspective on things,” Vallandingham said. “Realize very quickly what really matters and what truly doesn't you don't have to waste your energy on anymore. I've decided to see as an opportunity because I was diagnosed at 45 to live what I hope to be the second half of my life with this new perspective.”