For my 45th birthday I received a call from my doctor, he had no clue it was my bday. Non-invasive ductal carcinoma in my left breast. From that day forward I chose to do what my doctors suggested. I became a super patient, I listened, I read, I changed my eating habits and I stepped up my faith walk. Hey! I was a single working mom of 2. My daughter a college graduate, was seeing a man who'd eventually be her husband and my son was in his sophomore year of college. I'd worked for the government for over 25 yrs and had no clue what this journey would be like. I wanted to live, be healthy again and get back to life as I knew it. From the onset of my treatment plan things weren't easy. During surgery my doctors found out I had shallow breathing and they had to perform an intubation. In recovery I was given morphine and discovered I am allergic to it, my arm had swollen like the nutty professor. During my first round of chemotherapy and after not being told to take precautions in my surroundings and germs that abound, I ended up suffering from pneumonia, it would take a total of 3 months, tons of steroidal cough medicine and 43 lbs weight gain. By my 2nd course of radiation my chemotherapy needle hadn't been placed in my vein correctly, it infiltrated my vein and caused a horrific burn, blood clot and collapsed vein in my right arm. Subsequently for 22 months my treatment plan had all the severe side-effects every step of the way. As I journaled and photographed my entire treatment, it became so increasingly therapeutic that it became a book, due out this year. HER2+ a real look into the non Hollywood, difficult be doable cancer treatment. The real story told the way a patient should hear it. I am a survivor, I've been through the fire, my faith sustained me and I live to tell others it can be accomplished. My name is Kym Renee Keyes

Kym R. Keyes
Rialto, CA