Kristy's Story

I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer (triple-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, level 2) at the age of 27 and while I was 36 weeks PREGNANT with my second child.

At the time, my husband was unemployed and I was working full-time.

What's funny was that I found the lump 3 months earlier, and figured that because I was pregnant (and I had breast-fed my first child for 15 months) that I was lactating and had a clogged milk duct. I noticed it, but didn't worry about it until I realized it wasn't going away. My husband and I were having marital problems and were on the verge of divorce until I was diagnosed with cancer.

I was fortunate that I was far enough along in my pregnancy at the time of diagnosis that we decided to wait to have the baby before any surgeries or cancer treatments started. I was able to use that time to interview different surgeons and oncologists and get varied opinions on my condition and the best treatment.

In fact, the aspect that was the most unsettling for me was that I was not going to be able to breast feed my baby. I didn't worry about dying, because everyone I knew who had breast cancer (inside my family and out) were still alive.

I consulted lactation specialists and surgeons and finally found a tenured surgeon who agreed to cut into me while lactating, warning me that I might have infections from it, but he would do it.I scheduled a C section on August 4th, 2007 and my lumpectomy on August 10th, 2007.

I worked full time until I had the baby, and it was a blessing because it kept my mind off of all the "ifs" and let me focus on only the "what can I do about everything today?" question.

I had the baby and started nursing him. The first time he nursed, he had a very difficult time latching on. After a couple of days in the hospital, the pediatrician told me that he was slightly "tongue-tied" and couldn't nurse as well as other babies. It was a sign.

After 4 days of difficult nursing, I decided that I was emotionally ready to stop nursing. The hospital offered to give me free formula as long as I needed it. The hospital was such a rich experience because I would walk the halls at night, praying in my mind and thinking about the baby and the cancer and what I wanted out of life.. I also prayed to understand what I was supposed to learn from all of this.

I decided to dry up and then realized that I wanted to dry up before undergoing the lumpectomy, so I put off the lumpectomy until August 21st, 2007.

All went well, they also did an axillary dissection after finding one sentinel node with cancer.It was very difficult to pick up the newborn baby and my 2 year old son after that. I then began a dose-dense chemo regimen September 28th, 2007 for 16 weeks.

The free formula was a blessing - I was able to sleep while others fed the baby. I tried my hardest to feed him as much as I could in order to bond with him, but it was a relief to be able to let others feed him too.

There were times that I would jolt awake at night from the chemo drugs and I would go out in the living room and pray and ponder. I would feel so absolutely close to my Saviour and to my ancestors who probably had cancer too. It made me desire to research my family history and learn more about my predessors.

I went back to work on November 1st, 2007 and worked as many hours as my body would allow.In December 2007, I had to have a blood infusion because my blood counts were so low. It was interesting because I hadn't realized how much my energy dragged because I must have gotten used to it. Once I received the infusion, my energy returned and color in my cheeks returned. It was absolutely amazing.

After chemo ended on January 11, 2008, I began radiation for 5 weeks starting in March 2008.The previous problems with my marriage had been put on hold during the cancer and returned ferociously in March, and we split by April.

Cancer made me realize how much of a work ethic I had. No matter what happened to my body, I was more concerned with providing food and shelter to my children. Because I had a baby on top of cancer, I didn't have the opportunity to sit around a lot, even when I was exhausted. I chose to not use cancer (on top of pregnancy) as an excuse to be lazy. A lot of people served our family with monetary donations and meals and I was in awe as to how much support we received. I resolved that once we were on our feet that I would give more to others than I had before. Their service changed my heart and my attitude. I want to be the first one to respond when others need help, because it meant so much to me. Even the smallest gestures were absolutely appreciated. Even when people just asked me how I was doing or acknowledged that they noticed how hard I was trying.

I am so blessed to have received cancer. It has built my character and made me into so much more of a person than I was ever before. Although cancer changed me, it didn't change my husband for the best and we are undergoing a divorce. I realize that attitude during trials is so important because cancer doesn't define me, it enhanced my life and now I'm a better servant of God for it.

A few months ago, we discovered that Breast Cancer runs in my family, but never this young. It turns out that I have the BRCA1 genetic mutation and so does many of my family members. This knowledge empowers me to watch and prepare and prevent.Cancer is never the ending, it's the beginning of defining who you are as a person when times are tough.