I am 30 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically invasive ductal carcinoma. Before my diagnosis, I didn't even know what that meant. Now I have been forced into a reality where I not only know what it means but my doctors appointments and daily thoughts are filled with other previously unfamiliar words like neoadjuvant therapy, metastases, HER2 and triple negative.

I started this blog in hopes that some of the information I share may be helpful to other young women in a similar situation. Rather than posting my day to day experiences, feelings and progress, I plan to share some of the things I have learned along the way. Being dealt this hand in life at 30 years old brings with it some unique issues and questions. Will I ever have kids? How will this affect my relationships with my husband and friends? What is my long term prognosis?

Through this site you may find that my way of dealing with things is a bit different. I want to be educated about my disease and take an active role in my treatment and recovery. I want to understand every part of my pathology report, what it means, and feel confident that my doctors are recommending the best course of action. At each stage in my journey, I have experienced challenges with finding answers to my questions and ensuring that the medical professionals treating me really understand who I am and why my way of dealing with this disease may be unlike other women. My hope is that people will be able to relate to my experiences, learn from them and find some comfort that they are not alone.

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

A Cause for Celebration?

My 2nd, 3rd and 4th rounds of Taxol were as uneventful as the first one which I am grateful for. At my last infusion, the nurses in the chemo suite presented me with a certificate to congratulate me. I also received messages from family and friends all asking if I was excited that chemo is finally over. The problem is, I don't think of my last chemo as something to celebrate. I think of it as the last step in the first part of a very long journey. I still have surgery and radiation ahead of me, not to mention all of the question marks that come after that including returning to work, check ups, scans, hopefully having kids and doing everything I can to prevent this horrible disease from ever recurring. I don't mean to be negative, I would just call it being realistic. Some people may celebrate the end of chemo as a milestone in their cancer journey which is great, but it's not for me. I'm just glad they didn't make me ring the bell.*

*My cancer centre has a bell in the lobby that is used to mark a milestone in your journey. I think I will ring it in 2-3 years when I am still cancer free.
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