I was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer on January 25th 2010, when I was 23 years old. I had been married for only 8 months. I found the lump while breast feeding my four month old daughter. I was trying to get more milk out when I found it. I took it to my doctor but at this age no one expected it to be cancer just a blocked milk duct. However, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer years earlier when I was 17. My mother pushed and my family doctor agreed that they needed to do an ultrasound. From there I had biopsy and then the diagnoses. I had a lumpectomy and then six rounds of chemotherapy and 30 straight rounds of radiation. I had to stop breast feeding my baby girl but she is reason I fought so hard to be here now. Chemo is really hard but when you have family like I do and your little girl is waiting at home for you, you fight harder.
Its been almost four years since chemo ended and I turned 28 last week. I now have a son who is two and I am finally starting my career in teaching. Four weeks ago I underwent a bilateral mastectomy to make sure this never comes back. It has given me piece of mind and although I may never be able to have another child or if I do, never be able to breast feed, but at least I know I have a more then decent chance of the breast cancer ever returning. As if to make everything more worth it I received the pathology report yesterday and was told the cancer was starting to return. I had gotten rid of it and I will hopefully never see it again. I try every day to live well but I am raising my daughter to be a strong woman and if anything ever does not go her way then I know she has the tools to fight like a girl and stand up to anything in her path.
Mississauga, Canada
