In April 2011, two months after having a complete exam, including a clear mammogram, I was diagnosed with bilateral Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, stage 2 and 3. I had 9 medical appointments, 6 scans, a port implanted, and chemo started within a 3 week period of time. I clung to my faith in God and in His ability to heal me from this cancer. I knew He loved me and had called me to be a wife, mother, social worker, and now cancer survivor. After six months of chemo over the summer of 2011, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. My oncologist explained that even though the post chemo MRI had revealed "no signs of residual malignancy found", that post surgery labs revealed that about a third of the tumor and 7 lymph nodes still positive for cancer had survived the chemo. He sent me to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion, but I already knew that I would do the second round of a different chemo that he had recommended. After returning home from Mayo, we discovered that I had also developed a very rare infection in my chest wall. I was in extreme pain. This resulted in fluid being drained off of my chest multiple times, two more surgeries, and me abandoning reconstruction in Dec. 2011. Beginning in January 2012, I took 6 months of antibiotics (6 pills/day) and 6 months of a different chemo (8 pills/day) followed by 35 radiation treatments over the summer. I worked 16 out of 18 months of treatment. I would've never made it through this journey without my faith in God, my family, church, friends and coworkers. I am now writing a book about my journey and the importance of understanding the tremendous impact our beliefs and attitudes have on our ability to not only endure such a trial as cancer treatment, but to learn from it and grow through it. I choose to be better, not bitter, and I can now say that I am grateful for the journey. Be blessed and know that you too are an overcomer!!!

Amy
Knoxville, TN