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Having breast cancer taught me to never underestimate myself – physically or mentally. I have always considered myself to be a strong person, but you can never truly know what you are capable of handling until something like this is thrust on you. When I found out, I simply felt I had one more thing on my plate that had to be taken care of. Some days were tougher than others, but the idea of failing, or giving up just wasn’t an option.
I found my lump in September 2007, and because I was so young, everyone agreed that the chance of it being cancer was rather small. Nevertheless, we decided it should be removed, so we didn’t bother with a biopsy and scheduled the surgery. I’ll never forget Dr. Phillips words after the surgery, "Listen kiddo, you’ve got cancer."
I have cancer, it does NOT have me.
It’s hard to explain, since you never imagine yourself in this position in life, but it didn’t hit me like I would have thought it would. Maybe it’s due to me being a problem solver, planner, and "multi-tasker" in all arenas of my life. So for me, this was just going to have to be something else I had to take care of on a daily basis.
My biggest challenge was letting others do things for me -- that’s a hard pill to swallow. To lie on the sofa while my mother cooked, cleaned, and cared for me after my chemotherapy was really difficult, especially as a parent and a mother.
The one thing I would like others to get out of my journey is that breast cancer is not the worst thing that can happen to you in life. You can win this battle. A positive attitude is just as much a necessity as the physical treatments. So don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t be too easy either. You can never ask too many questions, and you can never have too much help from friends and loved ones.
- Tracey
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