I was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer at the age of 27, precisely nine months after getting married and three months after giving birth to my second baby boy.
Talk about skipping the honeymoon phase.
Fast forward a year later, the amount of growth I have endured has been monumental for me.
I wasn’t technically supposed to have life all figured out by 27 – and I still don’t – but one thing I have learned about myself is the ambition and tenacity that was harbored deep within.
Struggling with ADHD my whole life, I can count on two hands the things I have actually completed in full. Right after my diagnosis, I remember my mom and brother stressing to me daily “DO NOT GIVE UP THIS FIGHT” because they were accustomed to most of my unfinished business. But without a single doubt I fought for my life.
During chemotherapy, my hair began to shed and I saw a different person in the mirror each day. I never voiced how I truly felt about the person staring back at me because I made a commitment to be brave and fight. People would say to me “Oh wow, you’re so strong. I don’t know how you’re doing this so well” as if leaving behind my two children, husband, mother and brother was an actual option for me.
Little did they know, the anger I felt every time someone mentioned the word “strong” ignited a fire in me to finish the race. Not because I felt “strong” but because I said I would FIGHT. It wasn’t until I had my double mastectomy and hysterectomy I realized I was more than just a fighter, but a warrior instead.
My body looks so different from what I remember. The scars, bruises and the obvious change in my physical anatomy has made me feel empowered. When it is all said and done, you have no choice but to pat yourself on the back.
It’s a sobering experience when you take a look around and see your friends and family never really missed a beat. Life continued for them each day and night…vacations happened, parties happened, girls’ nights happened and THEIR lives just continued to happen. It didn’t matter I was lonely, scared, broken and confused. I had to do the work if I wanted to get better, so I did just that!
Today, with just one more dose of radiation therapy left, I have never been more confident in who I am.
Cancer, one-sided relationships, burdens and unhealthy habits have been removed from my life. I have stepped into new business ventures and put that well used ambition and tenacity into motion.
I started Young Hope Cancer Fund, LLC to provide financial assistance and other resources to women under 35 years old battling with breast cancer because the physical, mental and emotional journey is unique to those in my age group. I truly feel as though God placed this journey in my life to make me slow down, tune in and pour into others fully equipped with my battle wounds to show!
