When I felt the lump that would forever change my life I knew without a doubt that it was Cancer. I was 29, a single mother to a 7 year old, and 100 % sure that I had Cancer. After all the initial doctor appointments and scan as well as biopsies the results were in. It was the day before my daughter turned 8 that I received the Confirmation. To my surprise my cancer was proven to be unrelated to a family history of breast cancer. i had triple negative Braca negative as well. My cancer was unique for the tumor was large and had grown completely into my peck muscle. This type of location so rare many of my doctors had never treated a case as mine. I was thrown into an aggressive chemotherapy regime. I would go on to 4 cycles of the red devil as well as 16 consecutive weeks of two other drugs. I followed the expected route hair loss, low blood counts, blood transfusion, and extreme nausea and exhaustion. I completed my chemo three days after my 30 birthday. I went on to have a mesectomy. They took all breast tissue,peck muscle, and some chest wall. A week after I came home to recover I became septic and had to have the expander removed. I have been home three weeks since that last surgery. I feel like a different person now, that first day that I looked in the mirror and saw the indent in my chest was hard. I felt my women hood slip away, but I worked hard on myself.I now look at all my wounds as battle scars. I am proud of the road that is behind me. I can look in my young daughters eyes and feel secure in my self, in the type of role model I am to her, and to other young women who have to walk down this road. I start radiation in a week and am eager to get it started. I am still moving forward and greatful for every step I CAN take!

Staci Rinehart
Kettering, OH