Patient Voices: Seema Gokharu

Overview

Ask any person who knows Seema Gokharu, and they will tell you how active she is. In addition to being a mom of two boys, she teaches six workout classes per week, from strength training to yoga and Bollywood fitness classes. She had no prior illnesses and was for the most part healthy.

“One day, I was talking to my husband, and I was getting this stinging pain on my left breast,” Seema explained. “It would come for a split second and go.”

Seema didn’t think anything about it at first and then conducted a self-breast exam. “I was like, oh my god, this is a pretty big, hard lump,” she added. “How did I miss it?”

Seema had been diligent about yearly mammograms, but travel disrupted her routine. Discovering the lump prompted her to get one.

Seema’s diagnosis

Seema went in for a biopsy on October 16, 2024. Seema had no reason to believe she had cancer since she was relatively healthy and had no prior history of diabetes, blood pressure, or other chronic conditions linked to higher rates of cancer.

Two days later, her results came back: triple negative stage 2B breast cancer. At this stage, the cancer has not spread to distant organs and is mainly found in the breast and nearby lymph nodes.

What is triple negative breast cancer?

“Triple negative breast cancer is a breast cancer that is not responsive to the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, or the HER2 factor is not overexpressed on the breast cancer,” said Ann Kurian, M.D., M.S., a board-certified physician general surgeon at Texas Breast Specialists.

“What that means is other therapies that you might have heard of for breast cancer, like anti-estrogen medications, do not work for this particular type of breast cancer.” Dr. Kurian adds, “So generally, it requires treatment with a multimodal approach, which includes chemotherapy and immunotherapy that is specifically targeted towards that triple negative type of breast cancer.”

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) makes up about 10-15% of all breast cancers and is most common in women under 40, those of African American descent, and individuals with a BRCA1 mutation.

TNBC is challenging to treat because it’s more aggressive, grows faster, and carries a higher risk of recurrence compared to other types.

Close-to-home breast cancer care at Texas Oncology

Seema had several options for care, but after hearing positive testimonials from friends, she chose to receive care at Texas Oncology and Texas Breast Specialists-Denton. There, she began treatment under the care of Dr. Kurian and Gary Lu, M.D., Ph.D., a board-certified physician in hematology, internal medicine, and medical oncology.

“For me, having it so close to home was such a blessing. I can't say it enough,” Seema shared. Because the Denton clinic was only 15 minutes from Seema’s home, receiving treatment was more convenient and less stressful. Her care team recommended a lower-dose chemotherapy regimen, which helped minimize side effects compared to higher-dose treatments.

Together, Dr. Kurian and Dr. Lu developed a care plan that included six to seven months of chemotherapy, a group of specialized medications designed to destroy cancer cells, shrink tumors, and manage cancer symptoms.

Because of its unique biology and aggressive nature, TNBC often requires a combination of treatments. In Seema’s case, chemotherapy was paired with immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.

“Immunotherapy is an adjunct to chemotherapy that allows the body's immune system to function in a way to target the breast cancer cells, or whichever cancer it is that's being treated,” Dr. Kurian said. “It targets certain factors that play a role in the growth of the cancer and allows the chemotherapy to essentially be more effective.”

High-quality cancer care

Seema recalls her interaction with Dr. Lu: “He makes you feel comfortable. I always bring a long list of questions, and he tries his best to answer them. He always makes me feel like he is listening and doing things according to me.”

Beyond the physicians’ expertise and bedside manner, Seema deeply appreciated the nursing staff’s compassion.

“Rachel, the infusion nurse, connected me to four people here locally to talk to. Anytime I had a problem, she would go out of her way to find solutions for me, even though she’s so busy.”

Seema pauses, her voice filled with emotion: “These are the things that make me cry. They’re so passionate about their work, and the team here works together. Whenever one person isn’t there, another person steps in. They are so hardworking.”

After 12 long months, Seema wrapped her final round of immunotherapy in December 2025.

“Seema had a really great response to her neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy,” explained Dr. Kurian. “She had something called the pathologic complete response, meaning there was no cancer that survived those treatments, which is what we really strive for.”

Staying active during treatment

When Seema was diagnosed, one of her biggest concerns was whether she could keep exercising. Cancer treatments often cause side effects such as extreme fatigue, pain, and weakened immunity, making physical activity challenging.

“When the doctor told me that we’d be doing six months of chemo, my first question to him was: Because I’m teaching six classes — have you had anyone at my age go through chemo? Can I still continue to teach my classes? And he said, ‘My friend, you’ll be just fine.’”

In fact, exercise during cancer treatment offers real benefits. It can reduce fatigue, improve quality of life, ease anxiety, and help patients maintain strength and heart health.

After completing immunotherapy and surgery, Seema continued teaching, but she adapted, switching from fast-paced classes to ones tailored for seniors.

“Seema stayed active the whole time, and that really helped her get through it all,” shared Dr. Kurian.

It takes a village to fight cancer

In addition to her team of providers and workout classes, Seema discovered something unexpected: a newfound sense of community. Her friend Sandra, who attended Seema’s classes, stepped in to support her when chemotherapy began.

With few BollyX instructors available, Sandra made a bold decision: she got certified in BollyX “so she could help me sub my classes when I got surgery,” said Seema.

“I was so lucky. I have a big support system — my friends, my family. Even people who meet me, and they would tell me, I'm sending you positive vibes. I'm not a religious person, but they would tell me, I'm praying for you, and I knew everything helped. Just for them to think about me, I can't tell you how much that meant to me.”

The power of early detection

Early detection and screening are essential for catching cancer before it spreads. For Seema, the mammogram revealed stage 2B breast cancer, a treatable stage where the disease was confined to the breast and nearby lymph nodes.

“The goal of the mammogram is to find something early, to find something before you can feel it so that you can have the least amount of stress, turmoil, or disruption to your life to get through breast cancer if that happens,” stressed Dr. Kurian. “If something shows up, Texas Oncology is here for you, and we can offer state of the art treatment and get you through your diagnosis and to the other side.”

Seema’s experience underscores the importance of early detection. Her advice? Don’t wait and get your mammogram done. “Do a monthly self-check. Know your breasts. Find the spots that feel hard. If you ever find a spot that’s hard, get it checked and ask for a diagnostic mammogram if needed. Be an advocate for yourself.”

The information included in this testimonial is based on one patient’s unique experience and is not intended to represent all patient outcomes or expectations.