Finding the Lump
In January 2025, I felt a small lump in my left breast. I honestly didn’t think much of it and assumed it was just a small cyst. About a month later, it started to feel a little more noticeable, and I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach; I knew something was off. I had my doctor do an exam, and she agreed it felt more like a cyst, but since my mom had breast cancer, she wanted to double-check and set me up with some imaging.
After a mammogram and an ultrasound in April, the radiologist felt it was necessary to do a biopsy. She said as far as imaging goes, all signs point to cancer. After the biopsy procedure, she sent me home with an ice pack, some handouts on breast cancer, and a wee bit of stress. It would be a week before the results came back.
The waiting game is the absolute worst, especially when you’re told there’s a strong chance you have cancer. That week felt like the longest of my life. Luckily, I have a pretty amazing husband who helped me manage my anxiety, kept me busy, and gave me lots of hugs. He’s the real hero in my story. This is a journey for our loved ones as well, and he definitely helped keep me moving forward in a positive way.
A week after the biopsy, I got my results: Hormone-Positive Breast Cancer. Even though the radiologist told me it was highly likely to be cancer, I was still shocked. I kept thinking, I do everything right, how could this happen to me? I felt like I had failed somehow. But, instead of giving in to those feelings, I decided to learn as much as I could about breast cancer. I read books, joined Facebook groups, read studies, and kept searching for answers.
I know this approach might feel overwhelming to some, but for me, it was a way to heal. What was extremely important to me was to understand what was happening to my body, and I needed even more to know how to heal and prevent it from happening again. Sure, I could have asked my doctors, but getting appointments with surgeons and oncologists, depending on your type of cancer, doesn’t just happen overnight, and I am very impatient, lol. But I knew that taking care of my body through whatever was to come was my top priority. And I knew there were more natural approaches out there that I could either do alone or in conjunction with conventional treatments, so I hit the books.
Cancer doesn’t just appear overnight; it takes years to develop. Even though I’ve worked hard on my health these past few years, I now realize that I was a bit of what I like to call a hormonal hurricane and a ball of stress (more on this later) all through my teens, 20s and most of my 30s. Knowing that, the diagnosis started to make a little more sense.
Understanding the Diagnosis
Cancer is a scary and complicated word. I think it’s pretty safe to say we all know someone whose life has been impacted by cancer. Initially, I was really scared and confused. What will they recommend for treatment? What type of surgery will I need? Will I lose my breasts? Will I lose my hair? Breast cancer is not just a black and white diagnosis; it looks different for everyone. Hormone status, HER2 status, triple negative, triple positive, size, symptoms, grade, lymph or blood involvement, genetics, oncotype, and your age, among other things, are all factors in how it’s staged and/or treated. And it can take months to get all of these answers. Luckily, there have been many advances in cancer research, and survival rates, when caught early, are over 98%. After taking the time to ask questions and do A LOT of research, I was starting to feel more at ease.
Once I understood my diagnosis, it didn’t seem as overwhelming as I had initially thought. Cancer is not often considered a medical emergency, especially the type I had, and learning this changed my perspective. I don’t want to downplay the challenges it brought. Life had to pause, there were many unknowns, frequent doctor appointments (75 appointments between April 2025-December 2025), and lots of conflicting information, which could be very overwhelming at times. Surgery still had to happen, and treatment is ongoing. I definitely experienced a few meltdowns. However, when I look at the bigger picture, I was extremely lucky compared to what others with cancer or other illnesses face. I was fortunate to catch it early, at Stage 1. This is why I can’t stress enough the importance of early detection; it’s what made my journey manageable. I also want to be clear that I’m not saying this to make anyone else feel bad or to dictate how you should feel. If you’re going through something similar, your feelings and experiences are 100% valid and important. This is just my story 🙂
To be honest, I feel a lot of guilt and sadness for being so lucky, as odd as that may sound. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for my health, but I do sometimes wonder why I was so fortunate when so many others are suffering. Cancer is a deeply personal experience, and no two journeys are alike. If you are currently going through a cancer diagnosis or any medical diagnosis, I see you, and I am sending you all the love and hugs.
CHOOSING TO SHARE
At first, I didn’t plan to share this part of my life with anyone. It didn’t really seem like a big deal, and I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. But I was wrong! It is a big deal. And staying silent doesn’t help anyone. Regardless of what stage you are in, it still changes your life. I do believe my “no big deal” attitude really helped me early on, but now that I’ve been through this experience and learned everything I have, I understand the magnitude of it. I very well could have saved my own life by doing a self-exam that day in the shower. That’s a weird thing to say out loud. So, if I can encourage other women to do self-exams, check in with their doctors, and get some imaging, then I’ve helped in a small way.
What I’ve learned about life
As cliché as it sounds, cancer opened my eyes and changed me. I learned a lot about myself and about the people in my life. Life is short, and for me, it took a diagnosis to realize what really matters.
I’ll never forget my husband saying to me years ago, “Sometimes it seems like you are fighting life, making things more difficult than they need to be and not enjoying what’s right in front of you”. As I reflect on the last 20 years, I now 100% understand what he meant. I was always the people pleaser. Always needing to prove something to someone (I don’t even know what or to whom, lol). I always felt like I needed to earn anything fun. And I was a complete stress case 99% of the time. I tried to deal with my emotions through alcohol, which is never a good idea. That’s not to say I didn’t have joy or wonderful people around me—I absolutely did, and I’m deeply grateful for them. But I chose to focus more on the sadness, stress, and loneliness over the years rather than the good moments. I let the hard things in life take away from the joyful ones. I’ve always been a bit of a glass half empty kinda person. And I believe all of that played a part in my diagnosis. I truly believe our emotional and mental wellbeing are huge when it comes to our health.
What’s Next
When you hear the word cancer, every little bump, bruise or ache can make you anxious. You start to wonder if it spread or if it might come back. I don’t know if that worry ever truly goes away. People rarely talk about what life is like after cancer, but it brings its own set of challenges. Cancer isn’t like the common cold where all of a sudden you’re all better. Treatment and scans will be ongoing for the next few years. For me, the biggest lesson has been realizing that I can’t heal in the same environment that made me sick.
So, what does my future look like? First, I want to find more joy in everyday moments. My word for 2026 is JOY. I am going to be a glass half full kinda person. I’ll keep working on my healing, because staying healthy is a lifelong journey. I want to keep learning and hopefully be the wisest bitch on the block when I’m in my 90s, lol. I’m excited to try new things and see the world through a sober lens (I’ll share a post on alcohol and cancer another day). I want to spend more time with the people who support me and add value to my life, and give less energy and time to those who don’t. I won’t feel guilty for setting boundaries or saying no anymore. Basically, I’m learning to care less about what doesn’t matter. Giving less f*cks all around, lol. The next twenty years will be different from the last—not because I regret anything, but because I’ve grown. Now, I want to figure out who I really am and find happiness just being myself.
Well, with all that said, please go do your self-exams. Get familiar with your breast tissue. Doing them can save your life. There’s a resource link below to help guide you through this. It also includes lots of other helpful information on Breast Cancer. If you’re over 40, inquire about imaging, especially if cancer runs in your family.
In North America, 1 in 8 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer, which is too many! And the number of women under 40 being diagnosed is skyrocketing every year. The earlier you find it, the higher the survival rate! So put yourself first this time, check your boobies, and take care of your health.
Explore Key Breast Cancer Resources Today
Discover essential cancer resources designed to support your health, awareness, and healing because early action and education matter.
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