Kalliope Dontas, 49, is a full-time proprietary and derivatives trader who kickboxes for fun. With her dog, Apollo Creed, by her side, she is a “different kind of happy,” since a battle with chronic disease set the stage for a self-fulfilling “Rocky” story.
An unexpected diagnosis
Back in 2022, when Dontas noticed pain in her breast, she attributed it to normal hormonal changes. Then she received a reminder from Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) that she was due for a routine OB-GYN exam. She made an appointment with obstetrician-gynecologist Ann Marie McDermott, MD, with LVPG Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dontas saw the clinician’s eyes widen during the exam and knew something was wrong. Dr. McDermott had found three masses in Dontas’ right breast. Due to their location, she referred her to Lori Alfonse, DO, Deputy Physician in Chief, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. Dr. Alfonse performed a surgical biopsy, and the pathology indicated stage 1 breast cancer.
“When I got the diagnosis, I felt numb, like I was in bubble wrap,” says Dontas, who has no family history of breast cancer. “Luckily, I have a great team of doctors at LVHN that caught it,” she says.
Mastectomy plus reconstruction
Dontas had cancer in more than one quadrant of her breast, requiring surgery. She opted for a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts), which is a choice for women, even though the lifetime risk for getting breast cancer in the opposite breast without a gene mutation is less than 5 percent.
“We ordered a test called Oncotype DX to determine the benefit, if any, of chemotherapy for her type of tumor,” Dr. Alfonse says. “The score came back as 2, which is very low, and the benefit of chemotherapy would have been less than 1 percent. Her lymph nodes were also negative. Because Kali’s tumor was hormone receptor positive, she is taking endocrine therapy to reduce her risk for cancer recurrence.”
In January 2023, Dontas began breast reconstruction surgery with Randolph Wojcik, MD, Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery, Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, and came out of surgery freestyle rapping. “There’s no doubt that Kalliope is a fighter,” Dr. Wojcik says. “Throughout her journey with cancer, surgery, and reconstruction, she encountered numerous challenges and emerged victorious. Her struggle, like that of many others, was not only physical but also mental. Addressing the mental aspects of this disease played a crucial role in her triumph.”
Her last of five surgeries was completed in 2024.
Investing in herself
Before her illness, Dontas became interested in the financial markets. She worked hard at trading but continued to take every mistake to heart. When she looked closer at successful traders, she realized they see loss as an opportunity, and this takes them to the next level. That’s when she “pulled out all the stops” and got serious about trading professionally.
“Trading is performance-based. It’s close to being a professional athlete without playing a sport,” she says. “Your psychology, diet, sleep, exercise, and who you surround yourself with matter. I learned that those rules also apply to life and my battle with cancer.”
“We women in the Lehigh Valley are fortunate to have this great team fighting for us. But we have to fight for ourselves, too. And that starts with how you think and live your life.”
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