Positively Surviving Cancer

Tell the world who you are!!!

Hello My name is Michelle, the year prior to my diagnosis I was caregiver for my husband who was

diagnosed with cutaneous b-cell lymphoma. He was diagnosed in May of 2015 & has been in remission since August of 2015, with a hospital stay due to infection shortly following in September. It was a tough year for our family, but in the process made us stronger & I believe it was God’s way of preparing us for my cancer.

What was your diagnosis?

I noticed a lump in my left breast in November of 2015. But after all that my family had just been through with my husband’s cancer, I just wanted to get us through the holidays happily. I opted not to make an appointment until January. I’ll admit there were times in the beginning I wondered if that wait may cost me my life, so I do NOT suggest waiting, EVER! When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2016, they said I had probably had cancer for approximately two years & treatment needed to start ASAP. Ironically, my husband & I actually had cancer at the same time, what are the odds of that?!!

What type of Treatment did you recieve?

I had bilateral mastectomy with tram flap procedure for ​​reconstruction in March where they basically gave me a tummy tuck (talk about a silver lining!) & they use the removed tissues to form new breast(s), very natural but long recovery. I did 8 rounds of chemotherapy, starting in April & completed that in August. Chemo was rough & I am so happy its behind me. I’m

currently in process of completing 33 radiation treatments & will be on hormone therapy meds for the next ten years. It’s been a crazy long road & certainly a lot more than I had ever anticipated, but all worth it in the long run to keep me here with my family. They said after surgery my odds of the cancer returning were 80%, following chemo those odds were reduced to 40% & following radiation it drops to 7%. With hormone therapy I believe it’s down to 4%, which is a number I can live with, literally!

How is you life now now as a Breast Cancer Survivor?

Life now is completely different. I was always been a pretty positive person, however instead of letting cancer bring me down, I’ve become stronger & even more positive. I’ve grown closer to God & learned to trust in his plan, taking on only one day at a time. I wanted to share my positivity & experience with others in hopes it may help with their caner journeys, so I began blogging which has been amazing. I’ve had so many people reach out to me to for a little extra

support or encouragement along the way. I don’t know if they realize that they are helping me as much as I am helping them! As crazy as it sounds I feel as though cancer has given me new purpose & changed my outlook on life in general. I am so thankful for my family & every single day I can spend with them. I will spend every single day going forward living life to the fullest!

#pinkribbon #Breastcancersurvivor #Chemo #spreadingawareness