It’s Wild

In less than four months I’ve had 23 visits with four different doctors. Two surgeries, 9.5 weeks of recovery, six drains, eight weeks with tissue expanders, two fills, and 13 different medications—which have now become five, including a daily pill I take to help keep the cancer away.

For two years before all of this, I was trying to get medical professionals to take me seriously. Appointment after appointment, pushing for answers, feeling like something wasn’t right in my body—and hearing a lot of “you’re too young” and “you just have dense breasts.”

And then, when it finally happened—when someone finally listened and performed a biopsy—it was like stepping into an avalanche of care: appointments, tests, decisions, surgeries, recoveries, all at once.

Everything moved so fast. The past few months have honestly been a little surreal—like my life suddenly shifted into fast-forward. And now, after the whirlwind of diagnosis and treatment, I’m finally catching my breath.

I know this is far from over. I’m still very much in the recovery phase, but I’m starting to recognize my own strength simply by standing here today.

I look at others going through this—especially those who endure chemo and radiation on top of everything else—with so much respect. It’s an enormous amount for anyone to carry in such a short window of time.

I know I’ll come out of this experience a changed woman. In some ways, I already am.