Oak Creek resident Gina Leinonen said she had been “really, really healthy” throughout an active life that included playing college soccer.

After growing up in New York, Leinonen came to Steamboat Springs 26 years ago following a then-boyfriend and seeking adventure through hiking, mountain biking and camping. As a Pilates teacher and massage therapist specializing in myofascial release and neuromuscular treatment, Leinonen also is very body-aware.

Yet, she was busy being a new mom at age 39 to her only child, Finley, and did not think to start her annual breast cancer screenings at 40. At age 47, she scheduled her first routine screening at the encouragement of her mom and her doctor at South Routt Medical Center.

---

---

Leinonen said she “didn’t go in with fear or any thought of something potentially being found,” but rather “it was time to start the process, no big deal.”

Following that first mammogram in April 2022 at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center in Steamboat, the diagnosis was stage 1 breast cancer.

---

---

“It was a punch in the gut,” Leinonen said, sitting in her massage therapy office in downtown Steamboat. “It was a big load to have on you all of a sudden. My son was 7. I’d been in my career as a massage therapist for nearly 20 years. Everything was good.”

Leinonen had not experienced any symptoms, indications or concerns and had no known family history related to breast cancer.

“I had to work really hard to gain acceptance for this challenge,” Leinonen said.

Her husband, Shawn, provided steady support, reassuring his wife when he first heard the diagnosis, “You’ve got this.”

UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center officials report that 85% or higher of new breast cancer patients have no strong family history of cancer. Yet, 44 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer at the center in 2023, up from 36 in 2022.

Leinonen showed no breast cancer genetic factors during genetic testing. UCHealth staff can test for 26 breast cancer-related genes during a common genetic screening.

The massage therapist leaned on her family and friends, striving to stay grounded and positive through the nine-month breast cancer journey “because that’s all I could control, and I wanted to be a positive example for my son.”

The treatment started with a lumpectomy in spring 2022 followed by six rounds of chemotherapy infusion treatments during the summer at the UCHealth Jan Bishop Cancer Center. She lost her hair, which provided a positive laugh with her son. She dealt with fatigue and chemo “brain fog.” She continued working part time mid-week to help provide focus, purpose and balance as well as connections with her clients, who were very supportive.

During the chemotherapy session appointments than lasted about five hours, Leinonen valued visits by supportive girlfriends as well as the care of the cancer center team of nurses, nurse navigators and social workers.

“I always put a positive outlook on that care because I knew this was just the process, and I was going to be fine,” Leinonen said.

Katie Keller, a licensed clinical social worker at the cancer center, played adult league soccer with Leinonen and became a strong resource for her former teammate.

“I hope I provide a space where people can talk about and explore their fears, their hopes, their grief and their joys, which can all be present in the same moment,” Keller explained. “The hope is that this helps them navigate the impacts that cancer has emotionally and physically on their bodies and minds.”

In fall 2022, Leinonen completed four weeks of five-day-a-week radiation treatments at Shaw Cancer Center in Vail. The localized radiation therapy treatments lasted 10 minutes per application, she explained. She was able to stay a few evenings at the adjacent Jack’s Place, a weeknight, pay-what-you-can cancer care house.

The breast cancer survivor encourages other women and busy moms to schedule regular mammograms to be “better safe than sorry.”

Leinonen said her breast cancer journey provided a blessing in disguise to force her to slow down and truly value a healthy balance of work, family and life.

“I wasn’t just a ‘busy mom’ — I was burned out and spreading myself too thin,” she said. “Being a natural caretaker, it was a challenge to take care of myself.”

Leinonen quit drinking alcohol, walks daily, practices Pilates and tries to maintain an organic, plant-forward diet.

“I have a new perspective on myself and my health now more than ever,” she said.

She advocates for cancer prevention through nutrition, hydration, exercise, time in nature, self love, breath work, meditation, mindfulness, awareness, advocacy and education. 

“Part of being healthy and in touch with your body is getting the screenings necessary to detect an ailment,” she said. “When we are proactive with our health, we will be better suited to face a medical trauma.”