Fight Like a Girl My Story

Did you know that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime?  Well here is my story...this will contain RL information and RL pictures too but I promise nothing graphic.

Shirt and skirt are freebies from Soken kids 

August 16, 2014 I was laid off from work and lost my insurance.  I was shocked, a little nervous but knew with my skill set I would find a job in no time.  On August 19, 2014 while waking up I found a weird lump under my right breast. Knowing that there was not breast cancer in my family I didn't freak out but went to the county walk in clinic anyways and the nurse practitioner said to me well I am not overly worried but let's get it looked it and set me up for a Mammogram and possibly an ultrasound if they didn't like the mammo results.  August 26, 2014 went in for my Mammogram and sure enough needed an ultra sound.  To be honest I still wasn't concerned it was a large lump but again no breast cancer in my family.  On September 2, 2014 went to see the doctor for the Mammogram results, where the doctor informed me he wasn't liking the looks of things but in order to rule out cancer we needed to do a biopsy.  They performed the biopsy that day and ouch it really hurt, but still was confident that I would not have this horrible disease.  They scheduled me for a follow up on September 8th. I live in Phoenix and rain there is something you just don't see often and when it does rain it's a mess.  This day we had so much rain everything was flooded, the highways were impassable it was a really bad day, I was able to get to my appointment but apparently there were over 90 employees of that hospital that were unable to make it to work this day.  Thankfully my doctor did however, his kids were with him as school was called off and the hospital seemed like a ghost town.  He examined me again and as he was I said I keep hoping to wake up and have it be gone and move on with my life.  He sat me up and said "well that isn't going to happen, you have breast cancer"  I honestly don't remember what else was said that day basically I heard you have breast cancer now go home.  He gave me my pathology report and said an oncologist would call me to schedule me.  In the meantime I am thinking I have no insurance what am I going to do?  I am just going to die because I don't have insurance. Thankfully there is a program through the state that allowed me to get health insurance and has paid everything and I am so grateful for that. After getting home I reviewed the path report and even though I didn't understand it I was happy to see there was a negative mark on all three of the cancer factors.  I don't remember them all but it was what I though a good thing...negative is good right?  So I talked to the doctor made an appointment to have him explain it to me.  I arrive and I say this is good right?  He said normally yes, negative is good in this case it is not.  You have Triple Negative Breast Cancer.  This means it is a fast and aggressive form of cancer and harder to treat so we will be going at this aggressively as well.  I honestly sat there and cried.  (Triple negative is only 15% of all breast cancers and has a higher return rate) Still no oncologist appointment and I was freaking out and scared to death. A week after diagnosis I was working at a job that I had just started a couple weeks prior (still no insurance) and my whole right side went crazy I couldn't move my fingers I was very weak and I was scared, I drove myself to the ER and they admitted me they had a Neuro team work with me and the Oncologist and Surgeon come see me as well.  This was by far a blessing in disguise because I found the team that would be my hero's. The surgeon scheduled me for surgery and we set my plan into action. September 24, 2014 I had my lumpectomy, and amazingly it was not that bad, I was just so glad the tumor was out.  Chemo was next...but because I was going to need chemo so often they scheduled me for a port, a port is a device they implant under your skin in your chest that attaches to your veins this prevents them from having to give you an IV every time, this port was a lifesaver my veins are so bad to stick so this truly made chemo easier.  I started Chemo on October 21, 2014.  I was given 4 treatments of what is called Red Devil chemo and was so very sick that I ended up in the hospital for a week with zero white blood count by my 4th treatment.  I then had 12 of a lower dose called Taxol, I lost all my hair, my fingernails and had really bad neuropathy in my feet and hands.  Chemo was really tough on me but in the end I did survive it, my last chemo treatment was on March 24, 2014 and you can be sure I celebrated.  I was given a little over a month off before starting radiation.  I started radiation May 12, where I had to go every single week day for 7 weeks (35 days)  and today is my last day...yes that is right...today I graduate cancer.  I never thought I would see the end but today is the last of my treatments.  That's not to say I am out of the woods, Triple negative has a higher return rate so I will need to be checked often and I will forever be worried but I will live knowing that I kicked cancers ask and I am a survivor.  My hair is starting to grow back, so are my eyebrows and lashes, I even got to shave my legs a couple weeks ago.  It does take a year or more to fully be your normal self but I did it. Thank you to everyone that was there for me in this crazy time and who prayed for me thought of me throughout this you mean everything to me.  My parents I can't begin to tell you how much your support has meant to the nights we sat in silence watching movies while I was so sick I couldn't even type to the cuddles given every day telling me I can get through this. I love you so much....all of you for being there for me.

 Me receiving chemo

 Red devil chemo they had to inject

My hair after it started to fall out I shaved it

Me last week with one of my new wigs

Today...getting ready for my last treatment.  I don't show many people this side of me but see the hair is growing back...three months post chemo.

After my final treatment I came out to bubbles, a lei, a quilt and a congrats card from the staff.  I did it, I graduated!

There really is a lot more to my story than this...but I don't have weeks to write this blog haha basically I just want you all to know that this happens to 1 in 8 women...so please make sure you do your self exams and at age 40 start getting those mammograms, early detection can save your life.  

If you have gotten to the end, thank you for reading my story and if you have any questions or want to share your story I would love to talk to you.  

ღ❤♡❥,
   Kymber