I was diagnosed on September 30, 2015 with Triple Negative, Grade 3, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. We had to leave on a planned vacation, knowing I was awaiting biopsy results. Our flight landed and my phone rang with the call about 20 minutes later, confirming what I already knew in my heart. My husband and I handled that moment the best we could, considering we were driving down the road in our rental car with our two awesome boys, ages 12 and 13. We all cried and in hindsight, it may have been perfect timing because we held it together as much as possible to let our boys know that everything was going to be okay. We had traveled to Maryland because my husband was competing in his 2nd Ironman triathlon. An hour after that dreaded phone call, we found out his race was cancelled due to a incoming hurricane. A year of training...all for nothing. It was an unimaginable couple of hours in our lives.
Instead of flying back home, we decided to hop back in our rental car and drive back to Michigan. We were in no rush to face the music. We took our boys to Washington D.C to see the sites and then spent a couple days in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was now October and Breast Cancer Awareness month had begun the day after my diagnosis. There were pink ribbons EVERYWHERE! But, it was honestly the best way I could think of to spend those few days.
I had a double mastectomy on October 20th and started 16 rounds of chemo on November 16th. I tested negative for any genetic genes, which was surprising because I had already survived thyroid cancer in 2003.
I finished chemo last week and thought it was going to be a quiet one with my husband and boys...until allll my family showed up. Who knew a chemo treatment could end up being one of the best days of your life? It sure was for me. I am one lucky Breast Cancer Survivor!!! God Bless...
Washington Township, MI
