Family, friends, and friends I have yet to meet, my name is Melinda, and at 28 weeks pregnant I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Metaplastic Breast Cancer stage 3a. Before I continue, I'd like to give you a bit of background on myself.  When I was 20 years old I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  I had to have chemotherapy for 6 months and radiation every day for the month of August.  It was a really rough time in my life not only because of the cancer but because of the abusive relationship I was in.  Most days I was terrified to go home but also terrified not to. After completing all of my treatments for the lymphoma and getting away from the abuse I felt like things had started to turn around in my life because I found what I thought was a wonderful man.  We got married and soon had a baby on the way.  When I was 8 months pregnant though I found out that my then husband was a drug addict.  I was so young, naive, and in love that I didn't know and missed every sign there was.  After a few years of trying my hardest to help him beat his addiction our relationship finally ended. All I ever wanted in life was to have a family and I began to feel like it would never happen for me.  Of course I had my son and loved every inch of him but there were still a few pieces missing.  I was single for five years and each year I grew more lonely and hopeless about having a complete family.   In 2015 that all changed!  I met the most wonderful man.  He was kind and funny and always gentle with his words and tone.  We had a daughter together and got married.  I finally felt like I had what I craved in life. After a few years together we decided to have one more baby.  That took a small toll on me within itself because I suffered a miscarriage that took 2 weeks to expel itself but I eventually got pregnant again.  Everything was going as it should in any normal pregnancy, the only concerning thing being that I had a swollen lymph node under my right arm at 25 weeks. Considering it had been 12 years since my first cancer journey ended, my doctor wasn't really concerned but scheduled me for and ultrasound of the area anyways.  I had to to wait 2 and a half weeks for that appointment.  Three days before my ultrasound I found it.  A lump the size of a quarter in my right breast had popped up overnight. At 28 weeks pregnant I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The biopsy showed that it was triple negative which means it isn't hormone driven so the only treatments are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.  My whole world fell apart within a matter of weeks.  I was initially a stage 2 and within three weeks I was a stage 3 and at 30 weeks pregnant I was having a mastectomy on my right breast with lymph node removal.  The lump in my breast was 3 to 4 inches! On Feburary 28th I was forced to have a c-section so that I can heal enough to start chemo in a few weeks.  This has all been extremely rough on my family.  My children don't fully understand why we are having to take away the things they enjoy at home because we simply cannot afford it.  Bills are high and we're doing everything we can to pay off our debts so we can stay afloat.   If there is any way that any of you can help my family out in this difficult time we would be eternally grateful.  Cancer is a hard battle and when the survival and reoccurrence rates aren't in your favor you just want to be able to do what you can to make your time left with loved ones as joyous as you can. Please donate if you can and even if you can't a share of my story is just as appreciated. ❤