Vianney De Los Angeles had no family history of breast cancer when a routine physical sent her for an early mammogram and ultrasound. The scans revealed Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma in February 2024, a diagnosis that would eventually push her toward early-morning swim practices and a team of teammates who now call themselves family.
De Los Angeles sought a second opinion at the University of Miami Health System’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, according to the Miami Herald. Surgeons there determined that a breast-conserving lumpectomy was a better option for her than a double mastectomy, per UHealth. That recommendation tracks with decades of clinical trial research, including the long-term NSABP B-06 trial, showing that lumpectomy combined with radiation yields overall survival rates equivalent to total mastectomy for early-stage breast cancer, according to Susan G. Komen. Sylvester, housed within the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, had its designation reaffirmed by the National Cancer Institute in September 2024 as South Florida’s only NCI-designated cancer center.
De Los Angeles underwent about 20 rounds of radiation and did not receive chemotherapy, the station's report notes. She is now in the midst of a five-year hormone therapy plan, receiving hormone blockers that remove estrogen from her body. Standard clinical guidelines recommend five years of daily adjuvant endocrine therapy for patients diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer, since the treatment prevents circulating hormones from binding to residual cancer cells and inhibits distant recurrence, per the American Cancer Society.
From the Pool to a Cancer Fundraiser
De Los Angeles began swimming about 15 years ago and joined the Gulliver Masters swim team in January 2025. The team is coached by Mike LaMonica, who leads a squad of more than 50 athletes and holds U.S. Masters Swimming national records in butterfly events across multiple age groups, as SwimSwam reported in October 2025. Gulliver Masters trains adult swimmers ranging from age 18 to over 80 in Pinecrest and Miami, with typical workouts ranging from 2,600 to 3,000 meters per session.
In July 2026, De Los Angeles rallied about 30 teammates for an American Cancer Society fundraiser, and the Gulliver swimmers raised more than $2,000. Over one week, the team swam 5 miles, covering more than 8,000 meters to meet the fundraiser goal, according to the same account. Among those who took part was Scott Mershon, who has trained and competed on Miami swim teams since age 6 in 1970.
A Teammate's Own Cancer Fight
De Los Angeles was profiled by SwimSwam in October 2025 alongside teammate Kellie Feintech, who had preventative surgery after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation and lost her uncle to pancreatic cancer. BRCA1 mutations are associated with increased risks of breast and ovarian cancer.
Frances Valdes, a breast medical oncologist with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said three to six hours of committed exercise per week improves outcomes for patients like De Los Angeles, and that exercise can reduce treatment side effects and improve adherence to therapy. Regular physical activity can help reduce fatigue and improve other outcomes for cancer survivors.
Why Early Detection Mattered
De Los Angeles’s diagnosis came after a routine physical led to an early mammogram, a path made more common after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its national guidance in April 2024 to recommend that average-risk women start biennial screening mammograms at age 40 rather than 50. The change aimed to increase early detection and address racial mortality disparities, according to the task force. Valdes said stage 1 and 2 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer carries greater than 90 percent 10-year survival rates.
Invasive ductal carcinoma, the type De Los Angeles was diagnosed with, accounts for approximately 80 percent of all invasive breast cancer cases diagnosed in women, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Breast cancer remains the most common non-skin cancer among American women.
Upcoming Walks Across South Florida
De Los Angeles has encouraged people to pay attention to their bodies and get checked. Several local events give South Florida residents a chance to join the cause this month. The Susan G. Komen Miami/Fort Lauderdale More Than Pink Walk is scheduled for Saturday at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo Center at 10901 Coral Way, with registration opening at 7 a.m., an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and the 5K or 1.5-mile walk beginning at 9 a.m.
The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Broward walk is also scheduled for Saturday, a 3- to 5-mile route at Amerant Bank Arena, 1 Panther Parkway in Sunrise, opening at 7 a.m. A separate Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Miami walk is set for October 24 at loanDepot Park’s West Plaza, 501 Marlins Way, with check-in beginning at 7 a.m.
Cancer survival rates overall have climbed dramatically over the past half-century, from 50 percent in the mid-1970s to roughly 70 percent today, according to the American Cancer Society. For De Los Angeles and her Gulliver Masters teammates, that broader statistical shift plays out each morning in the pool, one 5 a.m. lap at a time.
