In November 2019, my world was forever changed when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Metastatic Breast Cancer. The world was on the cusp of a global pandemic, Covid-19. It was also the beginning of a life-changing journey that forever changed the course of my life. I am eternally grateful to God, my friends and family, and my amazing medical team at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Breast Cancer – The Start of My Pink Journey is an insightful account of how my journey began.
The Diagnosis
Summer of 2019, I was working at Vanderbilt University as the Director of Player Development with the Vanderbilt Football Team. A large mass had been under my left armpit for several months. I cannot recall how long it had been there but I noticed that it became more pronounced that summer. I scheduled an appointment with my Gynecologist but the summer was extraordinarily busy and I kept rescheduling my appointment. After three attempts, the nurse from my doctor’s office left me a personal voicemail message. Her message sounded sincere and she gently urged me “make time for my health”. At this point, it was early September, and I finally went to get checked out.
Honestly, I felt that something was not right, I could not help but feel like something was wrong. I did not have any unusual symptoms other than the mass and I was extremely, extremely tired. For a busy professional, mom, and wife – extreme fatigue was not anything unusual. Nevertheless, something didn’t feel right. The appointment confirmed the eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach – something was wrong. I was immediately scheduled for a biopsy and I was diagnosed in November.
Breast Cancer – The Revelation
My Diagnosis came 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and the same week that my mother-in-law passed away. Needless to say, I did know how I was going to share this news. I kept it to myself until after my mother-in-law’s funeral. We needed time to deal with this loss and I did not want to add to the high emotional state. I was relieved to be able to tell my husband and daughters. However. I was then faced with the task of how I was going to tell everyone else. There was this need to be strong for everyone and not show any sign of weakness. I did not want anyone to feel sorry for me or pity me. I had to pray and ask God for strength to share this news with all the people in my life.
After much praying, agonizing, and talking to trusted close friends – I knew what to do. The answer came in a gentle way – using social media and my various platforms to share my story. Writing had always been a cathartic way for me to clearly express my thoughts. This was it – an easy way to share my story. This was my way to tell the world – “I have breast cancer and this is the start of my pink journey”.