Breast Cancer Journey

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a very hard year, and for me personally it has been a bit on the rough side. I started the year with a full hysterectomy in March. I was the last operation allowed before the first Covid shutdown. My body was starting to get back to feeling normal and good again about 6 months after. I found a primary care provider that cares about her patients and doesn't shove pills at you. So, we were on a path to get me back to optimal health. This included the obvious tests for cholesterol, blood pressure, and vitamin and hormone levels (all the normal things a new provider would want for a baseline). It was also time for me to get a mammogram. I had one five years prior due to mostly every woman on my mother's side of the family having breast cancer. My grandmother died from it before I was born. It metastasized and went throughout her body, and treatment wasn't that great back then. When I went 5 years ago I ended up getting a biopsy done. The results were normal and I just had fibrous tissue. So, when they called me back in this time for a biopsy I figured it would be much the same. The day after the biopsy on October 6th my provider called me with the news. I have stage 1 ductal breast cancer. Things started happening really fast after that. At the start of the year I wanted the time to fly by, but now I find myself in a race against the clock. Luckily the cancer is only at a 1% grow rate, so my surgeon allowed me to go through the holidays before performing the surgery. I had to immediately start hormone blockers because it tested positive for estrogen and progesterone, a.k.a that's what's feeding the cancer. I have chosen to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction because I need to deal with the cancer that is present and combat the possibility of recurrence. It is going to be a long hard road, but one I know I can survive. I am a single mother of 2 beautiful girls, and I am not set up financially to handle this burden. I am asking you, my friends and family for help. Please help me shoulder the burden of paying the medical bills that have started and the regular bills that will continue while I recover. My surgery will take place on January 7th 2021. Thank you for being a part of my support team!