During my honeymoon, I noticed a lump in my right breast felt larger than usual. Well, honestly I wasn’t sure if it was larger or it had always been that size. I rarely did a breast exam. As a backstory, I always had a lump in my right breast ever since I was 12, but it was deemed as nothing since there was no history of any cancer in my family. When we returned, I went to go see my doctor. She noticed that my lump did feel different and scheduled a breast ultrasound. However, she was convinced it was fibroadenoma. At that time, I was 27.

My biopsy confirmed that I had 4 tumors containing cancer cells. Without a doubt, hearing from my doctor that I had cancer was an absolute shock and I could not contain my tears. I never ever expected to have cancer, especially at this point in my life. Cancer is not even common in my family, and I was totally caught off guard.

When my pathology report was being explained to my husband and me, it was emphasized that I couldn’t get pregnant during treatment. These drugs can be toxic to a baby. It all hit me and it hit me hard. We didn’t have plans to have a baby any time soon, but the idea of growing a family was quickly taken away from us. After some deliberation, I decided to go through the fertility preservation.

Soon after, I started chemo. My regimen was known as TCHP and at the same time, they got started on hormone therapy. I had my first Zoladex shot and that shot was horrible! I never saw a needle that big!

The entire process was rough. Every day was different and I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel. Am I going to feel sick today? Can I tolerate the side effects today? Even drinking a glass of water was a struggle. It was easy to lose myself, especially when physically I didn’t look myself. I had no hair, my skin was a different color, and I always felt weak. There were times I asked myself, can I really go through this? After 6 rounds, I went through a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Fortunately, the surgery was a success. My surgeon said my response to treatment was a strong partial because it did not fully melt away.

Recovering from surgery was another struggle. I was in pain, the drains were uncomfortable. I couldn’t do anything on my own including going to the bathroom. If it wasn’t for my husband, I don’t know how I would have functioned. I got started on a new treatment. I was put on an Aromatase Inhibitor in addition to my Zoladex shots for my Hormone Therapy. And I had to complete 17 rounds of Herceptin. As soon as I finished Herceptin, my new Targeted Therapy was Zometa every 6 months.

At this point in my life, it is an adjustment. Cancer survivorship is something I didn’t think would be a struggle. I still experience side effects, I fear reoccurrence, and mentally I’m just not the same. I learned at a summit that the fight with cancer is a lifetime battle, and I can confirm that for me it is 100% true. But I will continue to thrive and continue to enjoy everything that life has to offer. My life may not be what it used to be like, but I strongly believe I am living my best life.

ABOUT Rach

Bio

• Chicago

Diagnosis

• Breast Cancer

Primary Treatment

• Chemotherapy

Primary Cancer Center

• Other

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