September 2011 is when I heard the statement, “your cancer cells are positive”. At age 40, with three daughters ages 11, 7, and 6, being diagnosed with stage three triple negative breast cancer is not what I expected to hear. I heard loud and clear what the doctor said.

My mission from that day to this one was to empower myself with the wisdom and knowledge to live. I desire to live a quality life as a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a citizen. The journey of more medical tests, scans, biopsies, chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, different diet regimen, and many doctor appointments allowed me to gain knowledge during every visit. I look at every visit as a learning opportunity to explore this illness. Instead of having a pity party, I count my blessings and embrace this different life as it relates to this unexpected diagnosis. I don’t take this diagnosis lightly, however, I don’t allow it to control my emotions either. Being diagnosed with cancer can be very scary.

There are so many unknowns about this illness, however, there are some things that I do know to be certain. One of them is that God has not given me the spirit of fear, so I must stand on the things that I DO know to be true. I believe that by his stripes, I am healed. I have decided to remain positive despite the medical research regarding triple-negative breast cancer.

I am grateful to be connected to an awesome group of medical professionals at Augusta Oncology. Being connected to a community oncology facility has been wonderful. It’s like being a part of a stable family. My goal is to continue to learn as much as I can about how to defeat this battle with cancer. I intend to share my experiences with as many people as possible and to offer hope in the lives of others.