From nurse to survivor: How battling breast cancer renewed Denise’s commitment to care

In the summer of 2017, Denise Horne, a clinical supervisor in the critical care unit at Atrium Health Union, made a discovery that would change her life. During a self-exam, Horne noticed a small lump in her breast. “I wasn’t doing regular mammograms like I was supposed to, and I wasn’t doing self-exams regularly,” Horne says. “But I just happened to check and felt something there. It was very small — like the size of a BB — so I almost overlooked it.” At first, Horne wasn’t too…...