My story begins 10 years ago. When I was 15, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32. She went through it all...chemo, radiation, and a double mastectomy. We thought she was in remission, but 4 years later, she fell, breaking her femur. When the tests came back, we found out her cancer had returned and metastasized into her bones. She lost her fight at the age of 36.
Fast forward 7 years, and I was high on life. I was recently engaged, planning a wedding, and nannying for a fantastic family who just had a baby. Carrying the baby seat was taking its toll, and I had back pains. Not thinking much of it, I went to the doctor who said they were muscle spasms. Simple enough. I was 24 years old, it couldn't be that serious.
On the day after Memorial Day 2013, my fiancé and I were meeting with our photographer. I got dinner, and I wanted to run outside and surprise my fiancé with a cold beer. It had been raining all day, and I was wearing flip flops. Not the best combination on a slippery deck, but one that saved my life.
My foot hit the deck, and I was in the air, landing flat on my back. I could barely move or get a yell out. At the hospital, I was in so much pain. They said I had fractured 2 of my vertebrae. They found a softball-sized tumor on my spine, and after a biopsy, discovered it was breast cancer. The tumor in my breast, however, was only 2 cm...go figure. I had surgery to repair my back and remove the tumor, and almost immediately started chemo.
I am proud to say that I finished chemo in October, and am going into remission. I started Tamoxifen, and everything is going well so far. 2013 was a heck of a year, but it made my relationship with my fiancé stronger than ever. We've been through more than some couples during their entire marriage in the span of a just a few months.
Haddonfield, NJ
