On December 21, 2013, a Saturday, I found a lump on my left breast. I was applying lotion like any other day, and that is when I noticed it. The first thing I did was tell my mother about it. She was downstairs and she confirmed it, too. The second thing I did was go right to my doctor, that very same day.

My doctor was concerned enough that he wanted me to get a mammogram and an ultrasound. But I had to wait until January 6 because of the holidays. Then, on January 21, a biopsy was done, and two days later I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.

I had several options for treatment, but City of Hope came highly recommended, especially by my boyfriend who had undergone a bone marrow transplant there 10 years prior. I had a good feeling about City of Hope from day one; they gave me confidence that they could cure me and earned my trusted right away. After the wait over the holidays, I didn’t want to waste any more time.

Following daily trips to the hospital for various tests and procedures, my first chemotherapy treatment began on Valentine’s Day –perhaps putting an exclamation point on my boyfriend’s assurances that they would take good care of me. I had six rounds of full chemotherapy, or what is called the chemo cocktail. Then we waited a month after chemotherapy was done to take the left breast, so that I could recover and get stronger for the surgery.

Fortunately, I had a strong support system around me, which my doctors told me was an important factor in healing and getting back to normal life as soon as possible. I had family members with me at all times, at the surgery and at every test or treatment before and after that. My support network extended to the people at work, as well as friends and members of my church, who would visit me at home every week during recovery and lift me with their spirit and their prayers. People were constantly looking me up to see how I was doing, and it was heartwarming to see so many on my side and by my side throughout this ordeal.

And it was not over yet. After the surgery, I then needed radiation treatment. Where chemotherapy was every three weeks, radiation was every day for seven weeks. From where I live, this meant a daily 35-mile commute to City of Hope in Duarte, CA. Fortunately, my mother was able to come with me every morning so that I could use the carpool lane. Otherwise, the drive could have easily taken two or more hours in the Los Angeles morning rush hour traffic. All for a radiation treatment that lasted less than a minute!

A second round of chemotherapy – not the cocktail but a single drug called Herceptin – ended on January 24 of this year. Now my doctors are saying that reconstruction surgery can take place later this year, hopefully in September or October .

I was very fortunate to have discovered the lump when I did, because I never imagined something like this would happen to me and I wasn’t performing self-exams. I was only 29 when I was diagnosed and I had always lived a very healthy lifestyle. I don’t eat meat, drink alcohol or smoke, and I work out most every day. I never had any symptoms, had no family history of breast cancer, and when I underwent genetic testing after my diagnosis, it came back negative for the breast cancer gene mutation. So this came completely out of the blue and was a total shock to me – and hopefully my story will be a wake-up call to others who might be thinking like I once did, that this is something that just happens to other people.

People tell me they are inspired by my story, and that is why I continue to share it. When I was diagnosed, it never crossed my mind to ask “why me?” because I was too busy thinking “be strong.” I knew this was a time to fight for my life, not to question the hand I had been dealt. Someday I hope to understand the higher purpose, and sharing my story is part of that journey. Hopefully, it will help others to be strong in the face of their own diagnosis, and encourage them to share their stories too.

The three lessons I would most like to share with others are these:

• Be proactive about self-examinations on a regular basis no matter how young you are, how healthy you feel, or how unlikely you think your risk is because of family history. I was lucky because I found it early enough, but it was by chance and not because I was looking for it. This is your life, don’t leave it to chance. Even with a small lump, timing is key.
• Go to your doctor regularly for check-ups, and establish a relationship with him or her while you’re still healthy. Because of this, I was able to see my doctor the same day I discovered the lump instead of waiting to see a new doctor I did not know or trust yet. Ask your doctor about genetic screening, so you’ll know your risk and whether or not you should start mammograms at a younger age.
• To other women going through this, know that there is hope and always believe that you will get better, because staying positive is a powerful force on the road to recovery and cure. Stay away from fear by reading all of the material on breast cancer that is out there, asking questions, and educating yourself as much as possible. Don’t let it take over your life; it may have slowed my pace for a while, but I never stopped being active or leading life to the fullest possible. I never let myself worry that I would not get through it or that it was anything more than a temporary situation. 

Ultimately, I learned that I am a very strong person, and once you overcome breast cancer, you feel like you can overcome any obstacle in life. But part of being strong is realizing you don’t have to carry the weight alone – in my case, a caring team of doctors, a great support network of family and friends, and a strong faith in God and prayer got me through.