I found the will to live after my cancer diagnosis.

Life became much more precious to me than before. I loved and valued my family and friends, and most importantly, GOD became my number priority.

While laying on my couch chatting with my husband, I placed my left hand over my right breast for comfort and felt a lump. I did not think much of it because I am a healthy 33-year-old female without health problems, but man, was I in for the shock of my life.

I have been employed in the medical field for 10 years. So the next business day I got a breast exam from one of the doctors on call. I had never done a breast exam because I never lived life thinking cancer could happen to me. I was told that the lump in my breast felt suspicious and to get a mammogram.

That day I left work early and headed straight to the hospital. February 11, 2019 is a day I will never forget. My mammogram came back POSITIVE for breast cancer.

I was completely numb.

So much so I could not even cry because my brain just wasn’t processing what I had just heard. Once the ultrasound technician confirmed the characteristics of my type of cancer, that’s when I began to cry.
In my head I kept saying, ” Is this real?”

I left the hospital uncertain of my future.

I had flashbacks of my kids’ smiles and the beauty of nature that GOD created. I was a wreck and I struggled so much with dealing with my diagnosis. I started treatment at Fox Chase Cancer Center about three weeks after hearing the bad news. I was told I had triple positive breast cancer and its was very aggressive. I had to complete six rounds of chemotherapy and possibly radiation if I didn’t have clear margins during my DIEP surgery, one year of Herceptin and 5-10 years of Tamoxifen ( 2 years top if I want to try for a baby).

By the mercy of GOD I finished chemotherapy with no real complications and I got to ring the bell June 2019. I was declared cancer free with clear margins July 18, 2019 during my follow-up visit and radiation was not needed.

The best news I heard all year thus far.

At that moment, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I began to understand that there is life after cancer. I can say life has been very interesting. I became a center director for a nonprofit organization where we give back to cancer patients and their families. I believe GOD has spoken through me to be an advocate for those who struggle with cancer and I was given the task of spreading happiness through my sickness.

If I learned one thing during this FIGHT with breast cancer, it would be to remind myself that life is too short. We will never know when our job on earth is done. So I have learned to love my family and friends unconditionally, stress less, take chances and live with no regrets.