I was 31 when July 18, 2022 changed my life. Your 30’s are supposed to be about being thirty, flirty, and thriving. When I was diagnosed, I was relatively healthy and exercising was routine. I never even gave cancer a thought, nor did my health team initially because I was “too young.” My boyfriend actually found the lump at the time and literally saved my life. We thought it was maybe a cyst that all 30 year olds get, so I decreased my coffee intake, which is another nightmare in itself. But the lump didn’t go away and I finally scheduled a doctor’s appointment. Went to my appointment and I was reassured it wasn’t cancer, no way. Probably a blocked duct since again, I was “too young.” Thankfully they still ordered imaging “just in case.” I went to get my ultrasound and mammogram results during my work break, confident that it was nothing. I knew something was wrong as soon as the radiologist went quiet and the room got still. No friendly small talk and they left to get the doctor. In the next few moments my thirty, flirty, and thriving 30’s changed as I was about to hear the most devastating word, cancer. My journey began with a same day biopsy that I literally fainted in. My life had turned into at least a year of consistent appointments with triple positive stage 3c breast cancer. While everyone else my age was having babies, getting married, going on trips, and buying a home.. I was undergoing cancer treatment. But I won’t let that define me, as I have more years to live without cancer.
Rachael’s LifeList:
- Trip to a national park with Mike and dog, Callie