Hi, my name is Karen and I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. My first diagnoses was 10 years ago. I am now 38 and facing this demon again. I wasn't really shocked as much as I was disappointed that it had come back and I had almost made it 10 years cancer free. I didn't understand why, I was getting my routine check-ups every year, exercising and trying to eat right. I knew this time wouldn't be as easy as the first. I managed to escape with a lumpectomy followed by 37 rounds of radiation and three years of hormonal therapy for ER+ tumor. This time I will be undergoing a double mastectomy. At first I agonized over what to do and would the decision I make be the right one. Having a double mastectomy only seems logical. I have a family and children that need me. There is no way I would go through this a third time. I still don't know how much chemo or what kind I will need. That will depend on the lympnodes they take during my surgery. I do feel anxious and a little scared but I know I will be ok and I will beat this again. As I head back out into this journey, I know that their are others out there like me facing the same battle. I will be forever changed and maybe that's the hardest part but I will still be me and have the same heart. I look at my children and husband and that is the reason I will fight with everything I have. I hope to inspire someone else with my story. This is not the end, only the beginning!

Karen Bertrand
Savannah, GA