I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Friday, June 15, 2018, the day before my family was scheduled to leave for our summer vacation to Yellowstone. I think I cried most of the way to Wyoming and back. It was an emotional time. I was angry, sad, scared and unsure of what my future would hold. When we returned from vacation, I underwent BRCA gene testing, an MRI and began making plans for my double mastectomy. My surgery was scheduled for July 20th. That felt like the longest month of my life waiting for surgery. But after having several weeks to process my diagnosis, I was ready to start my fight. I was ready for surgery. I wanted the cancer out of my body and I wanted to know what my treatment plan would look like.

My surgery was 3 1/2 hours and went well. My surgeon removed over 5 pounds of breast tissue. My lymph nodes tested negative and we got clear margins. An answer to so many prayers! My twin sister who is a nurse came and stayed with me the first few days after surgery. It was such a blessing to have her there to help with all the drains and attend doc appointments with me. Overall, I had a great surgery experience and my recovery process went very smoothly.

The outpouring of love and support we received from our friends and family during this first phase of my cancer battle was amazing. From meals delivered by our kids soccer teams to gift baskets full of comfort items & gift cards, we felt the love. And it got us through the hard days. We are forever grateful for the support we received during that difficult time and now try to pay it forward every chance we get when we know of other families facing similar situations.

God is good all the time!