10/05/2026
I’ve gone back and forth about sharing this. The truth is, I don’t love revisiting this chapter of my life. But October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is now a deeply personal part of my story and my why.
On May 28, 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
What followed was a year and a half of treatments, healing, and surgeries. I endured four grueling rounds of the chemotherapy commonly called the “Red Devil,” Adriamycin and Cytoxan, followed by 14 treatments of Taxol. After chemotherapy, I went through three surgeries, including a double mastectomy.
Chemotherapy was by far the most taxing and trying experience my body has ever endured. Because this all happened during COVID, I had to receive my treatments alone. I faced my double mastectomy without my loved ones physically beside me, too. That loneliness was one of the hardest parts of an already unimaginable journey.
But although I was physically alone in those rooms, I was never truly alone.
God never left my side.
My family, friends, and community covered me in love and prayer. A dear friend organized a meal train, and so many people donated, brought food, checked on me, and supported me in ways I will never forget. I shared weekly updates throughout treatment because it helped me feel connected to everyone walking alongside me, even when they couldn’t be there in person.
The photos I’m sharing hold so many emotions. They remind me of pain, exhaustion, fear, and some of the hardest days of my life. But they also remind me of faith, strength, love, and the people who helped carry me through.
I’m not sharing this because I want to stay in that chapter. I’m sharing it to honor the journey, to thank every person who prayed for me and stood beside me, and to recognize the grace of God that sustained me through it all.
Breast cancer changed me. It became part of my story, but it does not define the whole of who I am.
This October, I honor those currently fighting, those who have survived, the families walking beside them, and the precious lives we have lost. Please don’t put off your screenings, and never ignore something that doesn’t feel right.
Even in the loneliest moments, there is hope. There is strength. And there is a God who never leaves your side. 🩷
