LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A local Latina says she thought she was going in for a routine mammogram appointment until everything changed.
Renee Morin had gotten mammograms before and never felt a lump. But after a routine screening last summer, doctors saw something.
“So we did the ultrasound. We did the biopsy. And… That’s how I found out I had breast cancer,” Morin said.
“And I was like, no… I think I’ll be fine,” Morin said.
The diagnosis puts Morin, a Hispanic woman, at the center of a larger disparity. Nationally, Hispanic women are less likely to have breast cancer caught while it’s still localized.
MORE ON FOX5: Scholarship named after mariachi singer who died at 18 helps Las Vegas students
Numbers at Sunrise Hospital
At the Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital, the numbers are striking.
“In 2025, here at the Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital, we served 240 Hispanic women. Of those 240 is equivalent to 30% of our cases being Hispanic women. In that 240, we do have 54 of those cases at stage 4,” said Andrea Lopez, nurse navigator.
Lopez said language, insurance and a cultural tendency to push through when something doesn’t feel right can delay care.
“There’s a lot of perseverance that we have deep within our culture of resilience of, oh, it’s okay, I know I feel sick, but I’m just gonna get it through,” Lopez said.
A message to other Latinas
Morin has a message for other Latinas who think they can wait on their screenings.
“I would say go do your mammograms. Go do them. Because one year it could be normal. And the next year there’s something there,” Morin said.
Lopez was assigned to Morin as her nurse navigator and guided her through every step of treatment. More than a year later, Morin said that relationship has outlasted her cancer journey, and the two remain friends.
Morin said she hopes sharing her story encourages other women to stay on top of their screenings.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
