Rachael Dornin

At 38 years old, I never would have thought that I would be in this position. Breast Cancer SUCKS, plain and simple. I've really tried to live my life relying on me/myself/I, trying to give where I could and take care of my family, working hard in every aspect of my life as a wife, mother, friend, and colleague. Now is not the time that I can stand alone. As hard as it is to say it out loud or on paper, I'm going to need help in just about every aspect of my life in the immediate future from washing my hair and cleaning the house to who knows what. I'll be out of commission for a long time, putting stress on everyone, but especially my family. I have Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which is an aggressive/invasive form with limited forms of treatment available, so I am taking pretty drastic measures to provide me with the best chance of beating this. I'll have a double mastectomy in September (2 days in the hospital with 3-4 weeks recovery), 12 week chemotherapy, and reconstruction surgery. This is the plan if the cancer didn't "travel" anywhere else. I'll be out of work for at least 4 months. The good news...I'll have a perky "pair" for the rest of my life, a head full of hair (I don't care that it won't be mine), and I just might get a little thinner through this whole ordeal. I'll be hanging-on to these positives and any others I can grab. ;-)