My Journey

In March, quite by accident, I discovered a large mass in my right breast. I was running late for work, of course! I ran into to the bathroom without a shirt or bra, trying to throw my hair into a ponytail. When I lifted my arms above my head I discovered the lower part of my breast was starting to retract and looked disfigured. Right at that moment, I did a self-exam of my breast and discovered a large lump.

I am only 35 years old and have no real family history of cancer. Although, my Grandmother had breast cancer, she did not pass away from cancer and lived a very healthy life after a mastectomy. By no means would I have been considered textbook “High-Risk”. Therefore, none of my doctors had ever suggested that I have a mammogram at my age. However, I had been on oral contraceptives for over 10 years. I have since learned that it is very rare to develop breast cancer before the age of 40, and that breast cancers in young women tend to be more aggressive and diagnosed at a later stage than those of older women.


I have always scheduled and gone for a yearly exam for my birthday. So with my birthday approaching, I decided to not freak out and to let my doctor guided me after my examination. My doctor took the situation very serious and gave me a referral to see the Director of Breast Imaging. He then ordered an immediate mammogram and ultra sound. An order for a biopsy followed. It was long couple of days and many tests later when Dr. Holmes, Chief of Surgery at USC Norris delivered the news to me. He told me that I had Stage III-A breast cancer.


That week my doctor scheduled many tests and wanted to make sure that the cancer had not spread to other areas of my body due to it being many large tumors and being the most aggressive type. An MRI, a bone density scan and a CT scan were then ordered, so my doctors could be sure it had not already metastasized. Waiting for the results of those scans was probably the worst week of my life. Unfortunately, the tumor was metastasized and had spread to my lymph nodes. Now they knew that at least two lymph nodes were malignant.


As I had several tumors in different parts of the breast, a lumpectomy was not an option for me. I was told that I probably had cancer for a year and half. My Doctor felt we would need to take an aggressive route for my treatment. His aggressive plan of attack on Cancer would translate to six months of chemotherapy, followed by a full mastectomy, radiation treatment and then breast reconstruction.


I have completed 6 cycles of chemotherapy and it has been a horrible experience. I was developing high fevers and infections. Therefore, the day after Chemo I’d go back to the day hospital and receive an injection in my abdomen. This was done to help my bone marrow replenish white blood cells thereby helping to reduce the risk of infections. The cost of an afternoon of Chemo is costing $28,255.00 and the Neusleta injection is running $13,000.00. The treatment costs are outrageous. Even with health insurance, I still am responsible for 20% of the costs. I will need to be on Herceptin for a year after testing HER-2 Positive. I had to take an unpaid medical leave from my job as a hairdresser to start my cancer treatment. With little to no income coming in it has been the most humbling experience ever. The stress of medical bills and still trying to keep up with personal and household costs has been overwhelming. Compounding everything else I must deal with, as a result of my treatment I am entering permanent menopause. At the age 35, menopause has been extremely challenging for me. The loss of so much estrogen means that I will immediately have a higher risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, weight gain, and other issues. I feel as though cancer is robbing me of my youth, health, and my womanhood. Giving birth to my own biological children is no longer an option for me. Coping with that reality is still very unsettling and saddening to me. I realize that my health is digging me into a hole from which it will be very difficult to recover. I have spent the last few months focused on getting through my treatments that I have not even started to think about how I am going to pay for everything. Unfortunately, my medical bills may financially ruin me--FOREVER. So, I just try to focus on getting through the next steps of my treatment that remain. I have an enormous amount faith and pray to the Lord for strength and the will to look beyond this part of the journey. I have to fight this battle. I have so much life yet to live. My life is filled with love ones and treasured friendships, some spanning more than 15 years; I’m not ready to wave goodbye. I have things to do.


Friends have stepped up to help with support; relatives have found strength that they didn’t know they had. I’ve learned that I am surround by women who’ve survived beast cancer -- and they are in a position to and want to help me survive. I can feel the walls of cynicism falling away and I have hope for humanity. My coworkers caring, helping hands have been outstretched to me, and thus, has allowed me to shift my focus from my internal struggle, to focus outside myself, to the future.


Let me remind you once again to do those things you’ve always wanted to do, to treasure your life, your friends and your family. Make sure they know you love them. And, know I will continue to fight. I will continue to fight for me and for every woman!