Your Path to Clarity & Health
DCIS 411 Team
Donna Pinto is the Founder of DCIS 411 and Give Wellness nonprofit. She is a passionate Patient Advocate, Certified Nutritionist, Author, and Speaker.
Since 2016, Donna has served as a Patient Advocate with national and international DCIS research projects: DCIS COMET STUDY and DCIS PRECISION (PREvent Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Invasive Overtreatment Now).
After being diagnosed with DCIS in 2010, Donna transformed her personal journey into a mission of advocacy and education. She became an investigative journalist and patient advocate, earning certification as a nutritionist. As a nonprofit founder, author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster, Donna has dedicated over 16 years to empowering women with knowledge and support. Through her website DCIS 411, nonprofit Give Wellness, and advocacy collaborations, she shares insights on DCIS overdiagnosis and overtreatment, safer breast imaging alternatives, and holistic strategies for achieving optimal health, impacting thousands of women worldwide.
Donna Pinto has served as a patient advocate on the COMET Study, contributing the patient perspective to conversations surrounding DCIS management, informed consent, and quality-of-life considerations. Through her advocacy, she has helped elevate awareness around active monitoring, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and the importance of patient-centered decision-making in breast health care and research.
PRECISION Consortium
Donna Pinto
Her work focuses on amplifying the patient voice, supporting education and access, and encouraging a more patient-centered approach to breast health care.
DCIS PRECISION (PREvent Ductal Carcinoma In Situ Invasive Overtreatment Now)
Donna Pinto has served as a patient advocate with PRECISION Consortium, an international research collaboration focused on reducing the overtreatment of low-risk DCIS. In this role, she has helped bring the patient perspective into research, education, and clinical trial discussions, contributing to patient resources, plain-language summaries, advocacy initiatives, and international conversations surrounding active monitoring and informed decision-making for women diagnosed with DCIS.
DCIS 411 Team
Yelena Wells
After 15 years of operating on a shoestring with one sole volunteer, it’s an honor to welcome Yelena Wells to the DCIS 411 Team!
When Yelena was diagnosed with DCIS, she faced the same overwhelming pressure so many women encounter, to move quickly into aggressive treatment for what is often described as a precancerous condition. Rather than rushing forward in fear, Yelena chose to pause, ask questions, and dive deeply into the research. That journey not only transformed her own perspective but also ignited a passion to help other women navigate this complex and often confusing diagnosis with clarity and confidence.
At DCIS 411, Yelena contributes as a guest blogger and research advocate, translating complex medical information into clear, patient-centered content. Her work across websites and social platforms strengthens our digital presence and ensures that more women can find accurate information about DCIS, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment.
Yelena brings both heart and strategy to our mission. Through her work with Give Wellness, she leads digital marketing initiatives that elevate awareness of the nonprofit and expand the reach of our campaigns. Her thoughtful approach to messaging, branding, and outreach helps amplify our voice and connect more women to empowering information and alternatives.
She also plays an important role in fostering community by helping moderate Facebook groups where women can access trusted resources, research, and meaningful support. At the same time, she is actively building sponsorship and partnership opportunities to further expand access to education, safer screening options, and care resources for women diagnosed with DCIS.
Most importantly, Yelena is deeply committed to empowering women to make informed decisions and to find their own path to health and wholeness. We are so grateful to have her voice, her passion, and her leadership as part of this growing movement.
I so greatly appreciate finding this site after a friend linked me to this and also the forum you posted this site address on! I have just recently been diagnosed and visited my first oncologist today with two women friends to help me record/remember/question him. I meet with a surgeon on Monday with accompaniment again and do not plan to rush into any treatment but am gathering all the information I possibly can before deciding my next steps. I too have great suspicion about the overdiagnosis/overtreatment for what appears to be a very hard to pin down “condition” I prefer to call it than a cancer. Calcifications that look different. Well, that doesn’t make them instantly scarey to me. Reading your comment on the Breast Cancer.org was like a balm to my soul after seeing so many reacting in fear and terror. I really want to not live my life in that way and I hope to never be that scared about my own body. It was unclear to me from the post I read but I think you did get some treatment but not radiation or hormones. Did you get a lumpectomy?
I have a friend who opted for just that treatment as well last winter and she is confident in her decision. I will tell her about this website. She’s also a massage therapist and never worried about her diagnosis she told me.
I will post what I learn from the surgeon I’m meeting w/ Monday. My daughter lives in SF area of CA but I am here in NYS (Albany).
Sending you blessings of deep gratitude at this season of Thanksgiving. you’ve helped me already more than you know by being a voice of reason and grounded in Self-love.
Namaste~
Chrys
Chrys,
Thank you so much. Your message gave me chills and got me teary-eyed! I am so happy that I could be of practical help, comfort and support. Women like us need to be there for one another!! I am forever in a state of gratitude for all that I have learned following my DCIS diagnosis. Have you read “Donna’s journey?” That page tells my whole story and it continues on with the “Blog” which you can click on at the menu bar. I initially had a core needle biopsy that showed ADH. That’s when I first met with a BC surgeon — she easily persuaded me to do another “wide excision” biopsy, which I later learned is really a lumpectomy. I was clueless and totally trusting. The surgery left a “positive” margin and then she wanted to do another surgery to “clean up the margin.” That’s when my nutritionist/healer friend Adriana stepped in and taught me everything I now know about the body, healing, cancer, pre-cancer, fear, detoxification, common sense & love. I did not do another “blind” surgery at that time because the MRI 1 month later showed nothing there. I became my own advocate and continued to get more opinions and made decisions as things presented themselves. I did have another lumpectomy last Oct. due to both mammogram and MRI showing highly suspicious calcifications. So, the DCIS was infact still there and growing. The good news was that it had not developed to high grade or invasive cancer as the surgeon and radiologist were scaring me with. When that surgery left 2 positive margins, I decided to do a re-excision this time. Now I am at 3 lumpectomies and still there is a “close” margin. I decided no more surgery, no radiation and no Tamoxifen. My RODEO MRI was clear 3 months later (Jan 2012). I decided no more mammograms as well. I will do annual MRIs. My reasons are all on my blog. I have spent endless hours researching. I am at total peace with all my decisions. I am not afraid. And it brings me so much joy to know I may be holding the light for another woman to not be afraid. To question doctors and treatments and investigate all of it. You sound like you are in a very good place of calm. I’m so happy I could help. If you ever want to talk, please feel free to email me: dp4peace@yahoo.com. Blessings and Namaste, Donna
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for your swift and uplifting response! I just got off the phone with the nurse at the oncology office apologizing to me for prematurely getting my consent for the DNA marker test she had thought I would be eligible for getting through a clinical trial. It turns out that they can’t do the HER-2 test int that trial without first conducting a lumpectomy so the biopsy tissue is not enough of a sample for her to send. I had an extensive conversation with her b.c I know she had sincerely hoped this test would help me gain more information about my cluster and she felt bad that she misunderstood the study’s limitations. I also told her about your website b/c it is important for medical people to understand what we, as women, really experience when they boggle and miscommunicate, and work from a fear based perspective. She is very open and caring and understands my perspective. I hope that the surgeon I meet w/ Monday shares that perspective and supports my data collection process:) I’ve been told that she’s not knife-happy so that’s a good sign but still we’re talking Albany Medical Center, not San Francisco.
I think I need to learn more about HER-2 and BRACA 1 & 2 and all these genetic tests that can offer info about the cluster. I’ll keep reading your site and others that provide real information.
Thanks again to you for this generous service to our community of women and as my new friend I met last night at an Energy Healing workshop calls us, we are now breastfriends!
Cheers and beauty to you this holiday and always~
Chrys
I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, and it has already been a roller coaster ride. First the radiologists called and said I had breast cancer then the surgeon said I did not! He gave me the typical treatment option of a lumpectomy with 5 weeks radiation . I scheduled surgery for the following week. However each day I became uneasy, so I called to postpone the surgery till I have more knowledge about what is too much for this. I was told I had a1 in 3 chance of developing breast cancer but there is too much controversy on how DCIS is treated. No wonder no one feels comfortable! I am doing my own research by reading personal stories and what other women feel is right .
So, I haven’t posted here in awhile but seeing Robin’s post prompts me to share an update.
I have not followed the “standard of care” for DCIS as its treated in Albany ny where I live. Instead, I’ve chosen to live a cancer resistant life -radically changing some lifestyle habits including food and drink options (eliminated most alcohol, sugars, processed foods, caffeine, etc..) and amping up other practices (walking, yoga, dance, music, etc.)to minimize stresses and toxins. I did decide to have a thermogram in April 2013 and am having another one this September to compare it. Also this April, I had a breast MRI (my primary doc agreed w this strategy) that showed the same calcifications
calcifications.-to us, this was a good news result. I agree and plan to continue doing what I’m doing. The industry cannot be trusted to serve our highest health. I became a certified holistic health coach last year through IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) and am dedicated to sharing my own stories of increased vitality and those of my clients to help shift others toward optimal health and focusing positively on personal and community well being.
I’m happy to elaborate if you care to correspond with me. My email is cbdooly@yahoo.com.
Namaste! ~Chrys
Awesome Chrys! Thanks for sharing your path and insights! Congrats on becoming a holistic health coach! What a blessing!! Change will happen in the “industry” when we women demand it! Peace, health and namaste, Donna
I made a decision yesterday to spend a minimal amount of time each day thinking about my DCIS, most of which is educating myself about my own status right now.The stress of what to do ,what not to do is overwhelming and certainly not helpful! I made an appointment in Pittsburgh for a second opinion.Hopefully,they dont throw in another wrench! As I said with all the breast cancer research why do I have the radiologist tell me I have breast cancer and the surgeon says I do not , yet he recommends lumpectomy,radiation and who knows what else.I see this path as a rocky road because of lack of knowledge on who will develop breast cancer from DCIS.I do think its good they are detecting cancer at a very early stage and saving womens lives,I think we can all agree on that.
Great you are taking time to understand your personal situation, pathology and getting a 2nd opinion. I highly recommend Dr. Lagios for a 2nd pathology opinion! I am not so sure I agree with the “early detection saves lives” mantra — Here is my article from last year after doing intense research on the subject: http://dcis411.com/2013/10/04/less-pink-more-green-an-intelligent-and-urgent-makeover-for-breast-cancer-awareness-month/
Blessings of peace and health to you as you navigate your journey. Have you seen my other website — http://www.dcisredefined.org ?
I don’t understand that I never get any e-mails from here or answers.
I don’t seem to be able to subcribe..
Tine (Denmark)
Sorry, Did you put your email address where it says “follow?”
I just got diagnosed with DCIS and had an appointment this week with the surgeon. I myself was questioning DCIS and the over treatment of it before I even went to my appointment however, after my appointment with the surgeon we had talk and I scheduled the lumpectomy for this coming Tuesday. I just didn’t really feel comfortable with this idea of surgery and some of the research I have done suggested it may not be needed. After I got home last night I thought I’m going to you tube testimonials and I came upon your video. I think it was exactly what I needed to hear. Someone else that was thinking the same way. I have already kind of been developing a holistic approach to life over this last year and this just solidified it. Now I’m in the process of looking at what detox I am doing and the high alkaline diet etc.. thank you for being an DCIS advocate.
so happy you found this site and you are taking time to learn about holistic health for risk reduction/prevention and overall well-being. Stay strong Amanda and consider joining the FB group “DCIS is NOT breast cancer.” 🙂
I just learned that some titanium clips have nickel in them. I’m allergic to nickel. I never think to give that as an allergy when asked. I think of meds or latex not nickel. I doubt I can find out if what I have has nickel in it, but makes me wonder if that is causing my discomfort.