Iliana Harpe-Kittell spends as much time with her kids as possible.

“You just kind of feel like the ground is like ripped out from underneath you. Nothing really prepares you for those words," said Harpe-Kittell, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 33.

“You have cancer” are the words Harpe-Kittell never thought she’d hear at a young age.

“Getting the next steps to get like a mammogram, an ultrasound or anything diagnostic after finding the initial lump was a little bit tricky. I had to push for it a little bit," Harpe-Kittell said.

She has stage-four metastatic breast cancer, which means her cancer has spread to other areas of her body.

“There was no major, major benchmark or major point where I felt like I was ill," Harpe-Kittell said.

In the U.S., younger women are seeing a higher frequency of breast cancer.

“There is no screening for women under 40. Like a mammogram is not a normal part of your care," said Joni Richter, the associate director of Cancer Center Partnerships.

Recent data from the American Cancer Society found the overall breast cancer death rate in the U.S. dropped about 44% between 1989 and 2022, but during the most recent decade of data, breast cancer incidences in women under 50 saw a 1.4% increase annually.

“But I think there's a lot more awareness about screening now and that could be why we're seeing it in younger people. We are still looking for the evidence to find out why the trend has shown such a significant increase," Richter said.

While cancer is not something she was expecting to deal with while raising her kids, Harpe-Kittell said a positive mindset is what keeps her going.

"If you look for the positives or look for the small little inklings of joy sprinkled throughout your day, that's medicine, too," Harpe-Kittell said.