It was a journey I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but sadly, I know I am not alone. Too many of us have faced this battle, each with our own fears, struggles, and triumphs. Life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs, and this was one I never saw coming.
I still remember the moment I first found the lump on my right breast. I was in the shower, running through the motions of my daily routine when my fingers brushed against something that wasn’t supposed to be there. A small, firm mass. My heart stopped. A wave of fear washed over me, but I tried to convince myself it was nothing—just a cyst, maybe something harmless.
At the time, I was newly remarried, still settling into a new chapter of my life, and the last thing I wanted was to disrupt that happiness with something I wasn’t ready to face. I was scared—scared to acknowledge it, scared to say it out loud, scared to tell my husband. For days, I carried that fear in silence, hoping it would somehow disappear. But deep down, I knew better.
Eventually, I gathered the courage to schedule a doctor’s appointment. I remember sitting in the waiting room, my hands gripping the armrests, my mind racing through every possible outcome. And then came the moment that changed everything. The tests, the biopsies, the waiting—each step more agonizing than the last. Then the doctor spoke the words no one ever wants to hear: “You have breast cancer.”
After that, I barely heard anything else. The word cancer echoed in my mind, drowning out everything around me. My life, my plans, my future—it all blurred into uncertainty. I was suddenly facing a battle I had never prepared for.
The journey that followed was grueling—physically, emotionally, and mentally. There were days I felt strong, and determined to fight, and others when I felt completely broken. The treatments took their toll. The surgeries left scars, both visible and invisible. The fear of the unknown never fully left me.
But through it all, I kept going. I found strength I didn’t know I had. I leaned on the love and support of my husband, family, and friends. And somehow, step by step, I made it through.
Now, 12 years later, I am cancer-free. I am grateful for every single day. But I will never forget the journey that brought me here. Cancer changed me—it changed the way I see life, the way I cherish the people around me, and the way I appreciate the smallest moments.
To anyone facing this battle, know that you are not alone. There is fear, yes. But there is also hope, resilience, and a strength inside you that you may not even realize you have.
Life has never been the same since that day in the shower. But in many ways, it has become even more precious.
