November 20, 2023 will be a date I will never forget. That was the day my life turned upside down. That was the day I was told I had triple negative ductal carcinoma. I was in a daze. It was not the news I was expecting. I’m young. I have two young girls and felt great. However, the reality was my biggest fear about not being there to see my girls grow up, suddenly became a potential reality. I had an aggressive breast cancer that is known for spreading quickly and I was terrified. About three weeks after my initial diagnosis date, I met my oncologist who laid out my treatment plan. I was going to do 16 weekly appointments of chemo and then four rounds every three weeks. Along with chemo I was scheduled to do immunotherapy every three weeks for the next year. I suddenly went from working every day, going to school and having lots of energy, to not working at all, unable to finish my degree, and being exhausted after something as simple as climbing a flight of stairs. It was a huge adjustment, but a necessary one to be able to take on this battle.

My first few weeks of chemo went fine. I’d have a recovery period after each dose but overall I felt as good as could be expected. Around my fourth dose of chemo I started to develop a fever after every treatment. I would end up at the emergency department every week with a fever above 38°. I also had to stop immunotherapy treatments because my liver enzymes got so high that I was on steroids for five months trying to lower them.

Eventually I ended up hospitalized for five days with febrile neutropenia. I felt as low as I’d ever felt in my life. I was ready to quit treatments. I wasn’t sure how much more my body could take. Thankfully my many cheerleaders encouraged me to keep going and Made sure I knew I could do it. At this point my oncologist recommended I receive an immune system booster injection after my last 3 chemo treatments. Once the injections started, chemo was manageable and I had no more delays or emergency room visits. I completed my chemotherapy sessions on June 21, 2024. That day is another day I will never forget. It was a bittersweet day. One I had been looking forward to so much for the last six months, I had counted down to it since day 1 of chemo. However, it also meant I would have to say goodbye to the amazing doctors and nurses that had become like family to me on the chemotherapy floor.

In early July, I met with my surgeon and was booked for surgery on July 31, 2024. I had tested positive for the BRAC 1 gene variant so I opted to have a bilateral mastectomy. Surgery went as planned and as I recovered I waited for my pathology report. September 2, 2024 I received a call from my oncologist that my results were in. My pathology report showed no invasive cancer present. I was shocked and elated. When I first started this journey I was told the percentage of chemotherapy eliminating the cancer on its own were below 30%. By what feels like a miracle I fell into that low percentage. I couldn’t believe it. I took the results with caution (and still am), I just couldn’t believe they were telling me I was cancer free. Although my journey isn’t over and I have a few more things to conquer, I am where I am today because of cancer research. I’m alive today because of cancer research. I’ll be around to watch my girls grow up because of cancer research. Please consider donating to our team in the run/walk for the cure on October 6th.

After being taken care of by so many loved ones, so many friends near and far and the wonderful community I’m so fortunate to live in, it’s my turn to pay it forward.