My Breast Cancer Journey

Hi guys! I have been completely MIA all summer and if you follow me at all on social media you know why. It’s the C word.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and I have been taking time to focus on my health. I have had so much help from friends, family and even people I haven’t been in touch with in years. I am overwhelmed with the love and support I have received and I truly do not believe I would be feeling as well as I do without everyone!

Night after Medi_port surgery

This process began with surgery in June to place a Medi-Port followed shortly by four grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Chemo sucks! There’s really nothing else to say, it just absolutely sucks! I shared a couple videos on youtube that you can find HERE and HERE about chemo and how it affected me. One is long and one is short but you can see how it not only affects my energy and hair but even how my brain functions!

I elected to shave my head and donate my hair before it all fell out. I had a sweet mohawk for about a week because we let my kids choose my hairstyle so they weren’t totally freaked out about mom being bald. My amazing friend Nichole, who is not only a hairstylist but also another professional photographer (check her work out HERE) helped me cut off the hair to donate and gave me my mean mohawk.

This journey has inspired me to give back once I am healed. I am looking to start a volunteer service dedicated to helping those battling cancer here in our Coachella Valley. During my treatments I find that the day-to-day tasks can feel completely overwhelming and drain all of my energy. I’m talking about grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, tidying up, cleaning, etc. Things you must continue to do if you don’t want your life to fall apart. These are the things I hope to help others with as they deal with cancer. Hopefully more info on this venture will be coming soon!

I had a lumpectomy Wednesday, September 25th and was really hoping that this would be close to the end of this journey, however, my margins were not clear, which means cancer cells were found still lurking around the tumor site. So the plan has changed and I will be getting a double mastectomy. Yikes! I know. It was very difficult to handle this change of plan because my path had seemed so clear for the last few months. At the end of the day you have to keep moving forward in a positive way! Your continued prayers and loving support are always appreciated and I will keep you all in the loop!