Yolanda

My name is Yolanda and I am a young adult breast cancer survivor…

Picture it, Pittsburgh, PA January 2016 – a determined, independent young woman just got the keys to her new apartment. She was ready to live life on her terms, her way and finally put herself first! Staying at her new place for the first night, she stared at the empty space and blank walls envisioning all she would accomplish along with all the love and laughter she would fill it with. As she was watching tv, her hand grazed her breast and she felt something. A lump, a hard lump in her left breast. She originally thought it was because she just started her menstrual cycle. Yeah, she thought, she would give it another week and see if it was still there. Alas, a week later the lump was still there.

Enter the nightmare here…

My first thought was to have my gynecologist look and feel the lump. I always had my annual appoint at the end of January, I found the lump the weeks prior, I guess you can call it luck. I had her check to see if I was imagining things. But she confirmed that she felt the lump as well. I needed to have a mammogram to see exactly what it was. My mammogram was scheduled for a week from then, the following days went as slow as you would expect with my health ever on my mind. I decided not to tell any family or friends of my possible fate, I wanted concrete evidence before any of that was to take place.

On the day of my mammogram, I went alone and as expected was the youngest woman in the office with a pink robe on. It was uncomfortable. I think some of the older woman even looked at me in disbelief, I guess I would as well. I had my mammogram and once the doctor saw the lump she immediately wanted an ultrasound. She said by looking at the ultrasound it looked like cancer, but she wanted to make sure, so she wanted a biopsy done as well. Unfortunately, the staff had already left for the day and I would have to wait until tomorrow morning.Needless to say, there was a lot of waiting. Even after I had the biopsy done the next morning, they wouldn’t have the results until next week. So, over the weekend I tried to be as normal as possible, waiting to hear if I have cancer. That Sunday I told my mom, dad and brother what had been going on the last week and that I was waiting for the results. I wanted to wait as long as I could to tell them – my father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that previous October and had it removed that December. I didn’t want to put anymore stress on my family. I told them what ever it turned out to be that I would be ok and not to worry. And then Monday came…

February 8th, 2016 would forever change my life.

I was diagnosed with stage 2b Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the left breast. The next 2 weeks were filled with doctors’ appointments with my surgeon, the genetics department and with a fertility specialist. I was told we caught it early, but later found out through my Onco DX test that it was very aggressive, and I needed to schedule surgery right away and most likely have to do chemotherapy and radiation. It was all happening so quickly, but I was determined more than ever to beat cancer! During this time, I also filled in my close friends and family what was taking place and shared with them my mission to beat it.

So much was happening, I sometimes look back on that year and it feels like it flew past quickly! I had surgery in March, started chemotherapy in April which ended in July then started radiation in August. By October 5th I had my last radiation treatment and was officially done with active treatment. But if I am honest I feel like that was really the beginning of my journey with and through breast cancer.

I never imagined being told at 36 years old that I have breast cancer. When you are in you in your 20’s you think you are invincible, when you are in your 30’s you start to plan for your future. There I was, mid 30’s having to consider I may not make it to 40. Things like chemo and radiation took its toll on me, of course physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I had to face the reality that I was no longer the woman I was before! Although I no longer had evidence of the disease in my body, it turned my life into something I no longer recognized. But breast cancer wasn’t going to win! Every day I mustered up the fight to beat it! Through my exceptional journey with breast cancer I learned how strong I really am. I am grateful for organizations like Young Women Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation and Jen Kehm and being a part with other awesome and powerful women. My mission, now being a 2 year survivor, is to inspire, empower and educate other young women with breast cancer that if I can make it, they can too!!