It was September 2016 when I discovered a lump in my right breast.

I was a scared 33-year-old with a 12-year-old son. My mind was racing, but I kept it together.

I told my mom and boyfriend I felt a lump and I scheduled an appointment with my OB/GYN who did a breast exam and told me I needed a biopsy. A week later, I get a biopsy along with a mammogram and ultrasound. I waited four days for the results — the longest four days of my life!

I received a call from my doctor that I had to come in for the results. I knew immediately I had cancer because why else would I have to come in? When he comes into the room, he hugs me and tell me what I already knew, “You have stage II breast cancer and you’re HER2 negative.” I’m trying to process this news just thinking how I’m going to tell my family especially my son. I begin to cry because I’m thinking about everything negative.

My doctor was and is still amazing; he told me everything he was going to do to get rid of this tumor. He said this is serious and “some people find out that they have cancer and don’t come back to my office. Please come back so we can get you back healthy.” I assured him that I would. I left his office and went to my mom’s house to pick up my son. From there, I told my family and friends I had breast cancer and they were very supportive.

The next few weeks were a blur and everything moved fast.

I met my oncologist, took a class to prepare me for chemo and had my port placed within a two-week span. I also never stopped working through all of this as I’m a full-time chef. Since my diagnosis, I’ve built a team of doctors: a breast surgeon, a medical oncologist, plastic surgeon, cardiologist and a radiation oncologist.

I started chemo on Halloween day and I was very nervous. About two hours in, I told the nurse to stop; I felt like I couldn’t do it. I was freaking out and it had suddenly set in that I had CANCER and I was overwhelmed!

A day passes and I felt fine because they pump you up with so many drugs including steroids. The next day, I crashed and felt like crap sleeping for hours. I received chemo every twenty-one days and in between those days, the side effects happen — my hair fell out, I was nauseous and my body is just ached.

Every side effect possible I had it. I had to get a heart scan while taking Herceptin and during my scan, they discovered a tiny blood clot by my port. It seems, my port was too long and as a result, formed a tiny clot. I had to start taking blood thinners twice a day until I my port was removed.

I did chemo for six months and I was so excited because my tumor shrunk immediately! Modern medicine is awesome! After I completed chemo, I had a mastectomy in March 2017, then right after I started radiation. Radiation is tough; I went everyday, for thirty days and while I didn’t feel it, I did see the effects of it. My burns were so bad, my doctor stopped my treatment early which I was thankful for that lol.

The reason I say radiation was the worse is because, your skin never recovers. My skin is still darker than my other breast and my back is also. When I had my final surgery after radiation, I had complications because my skin was so damaged. After my reconstruction surgery, my right breast would not heal and my incisions would come open. I would go in to my plastic surgeons office to get stitches and they would pop open. The radiation had caused so much scar tissue, that it wouldn’t allow my breast to heal properly. Because of this, I had another surgery to remove the scar tissue.

I will say through this ordeal I’ve learned so much and felt so many emotions. I used to live a carefree life and then boom, my life is turned upside down and I’m going to doctors appointment almost daily. I always say that with every experience, there is a lesson to be learned. I learned that I’m strong as hell and that when you’re in survival mode, you can’t feel sorry for yourself. Even on days when I didn’t feel like fighting, I have to because I had my son to live for.

While having cancer was traumatic and life changing, I met some pretty amazing people. My doctors and nurses still keep in contact and my breast oncologist is a friend of mine and is always being honored in our city. I also made new friends on social media, which is cool because you don’t feel alone and you can build this support system. I’m so thankful for this platform and I hope my story can inspire others who are going through this journey.

This journey is not easy but if you have a support system you can get through it. Having breast cancer at a young age is very tough, and many people don’t talk about how it takes a toll on your mental health. The constant worry and dark thoughts can sometime get the best of you. I would suggest speaking with a counselor, during and after treatment because this is a traumatic experience.

I want to thank you for reading my story and I hope you feel inspired. Please if you feel any lumps or bumps get checked and be an advocate for yourself ask questions; don’t let anyone dismiss you. Your health is your wealth. Thanks for reading and God bless!!!!