Proud survivor! 💖🎗

When you think of cancer, you think of death. But when you educate yourself on the type of cancer, age, race, stage, you will learn that death is not always the outcome.

When I was first diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, October 13th, 2017. I thought to myself, “this can’t be, just no way.” But unfortunately I had to face the reality of having breast cancer at a young age. No matter the stage or how aggressive it was, I still was diagnosed with cancer. Just knowing that this disease was living in my body and thinking how the hell it got in there was the scary part. I prepared myself the best I could for the treatment plan that my medical team put together. I was ready to fight. But what I did’t realize was the mental fight it was going to have on me and to this day, even a year later, it is a battle.

When I look in the mirror and see the scars on my body and what my body has went through, and it is frustrating. These scars represent, pain, sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, depression, determination and strength. They say, “don’t let cancer define you.” But cancer has defined me, it has made me who I am today. It is part of my story and I will forever talk about it because it helps me cope. I battle demons everyday because of this disease, emotionally, physically and mentally. I didn’t realize the emotional roller coaster it was going to have on me, until I had to fight this fight myself. I will cherish these scars for the rest of my life. And will be forever grateful to be alive. I hope my story will inspire others.

I am a woman who has battled breast cancer and I am proud to stand here today and share my story.