10/04/2026
I thought I could keep quiet about this.
I thought I could walk through it privately, thank God for bringing me through, and simply move on with life.
But the more I tried not to talk about it, the more God reminded me of a sermon I preached years ago entitled,
“You Do Not Have the Right to Remain Silent!”
And I realized those words weren't just for the people I preached them to.
They were for me.
On October 10, 2025, I heard words no woman ever wants to hear:
“You have breast cancer.”
I was diagnosed with DCIS - ductal carcinoma in situ, Stage 0 breast cancer.
When I received the news, I cried. But my first tears weren't for me.
They were for my husband.
His first wife passed away from breast cancer more than nine years ago, and all I could think was,
“He doesn't deserve to go through this again.”
The thought of him having to walk another woman he loved through breast cancer broke my heart. Before I could fully process what the diagnosis meant for me, I was thinking about what it might mean for him.
What followed was a journey I could never have anticipated.
Surgeons. Second opinions. Third opinions. Fourth opinions. Tests. Scans. Alternative medicine consultations. Cryoablation consultations. Clinical-trial consultations.
You name it, I explored it.
And the information wasn't always consistent.
It's Stage 0 cancer.
It's not really cancer.
You need surgery.
You don't need surgery, you can just monitor it.
The emotional roller coaster was overwhelming.
So, I did what Arizona does when she needs to understand something:
I started studying.
I watched documentaries. I listened to medical discussions and personal testimonies. I read medical journals, research studies, case studies, books and audiobooks.
If I thought it could help me better understand breast cancer, treatment options, nutrition, healing or my own body, I wanted to know about it.
I researched like the FBI! 😂
But I did more than research.
I prayed.
I asked questions. I sought counsel. I weighed my options. I made changes. I drank just about every tea I thought might help. I took supplements. I even went three months without sugar.
But through the appointments, the conflicting information, the uncertainty, the decisions, the tears and the questions, one thing remained constant:
My faith.
After numerous consultations, much prayer and encouragement from my husband, I ultimately decided to have a mastectomy on July 6, 2026.
The surgery went well.
And there was no lymph node involvement.
PRAISE GOD! 🙌🏾
Today, I can say:
I am well.
Not because this journey was easy.
Not because I never experienced fear.
Not because I never had questions.
Not because I had every answer.
I am well because Jesus is with me. My husband and my children were with me. My dear friends were with me.
Jesus was with me in the doctor's offices.
He was with me during the scans.
He was with me while I researched.
He was with me when I cried.
He was with me when I had to make difficult decisions.
He was with me on the operating table.
And He is with me now.
So I say with my whole heart:
THANK YOU, JESUS and To God Be the Glory for ALL that HE has done!
This journey has changed the way I see life, health, time, people and purpose.
And I've learned something else:
Sometimes the thing you survive becomes part of the assignment you're called to serve.
That is why I cannot remain silent.
If my story causes one woman to schedule her screening...
If it encourages one woman to ask another question...
Seek another opinion...
Advocate for herself...
Hold on to her faith...
Or believe that there is still life and purpose on the other side of a diagnosis...
Then my testimony is worth telling.
And out of this journey, something else was reborn.
The Virtuous Woman Boutique.
And from my personal journey comes a collection that now carries a very different meaning for me:
🎀 **THE VIRTUOUS WARRIOR COLLECTION** 🎀
Created to honor the women who have fought, the women who are fighting, the survivors who are still standing, and the beautiful warriors whose memories we continue to carry.
This isn't just apparel.
**It's a declaration.**
A declaration of **faith.**
A declaration of **strength.**
A declaration of **courage.**
A declaration that what tried to change our lives does not get to define the rest of our lives.
My diagnosis was part of my story.
**But it was NOT the end of my story.**
My diagnosis is NOT my identity.
I am still here.
**Still standing.**
**Still believing.**
**Still leading.**
**Still loving.**
**Still living.**
**Still becoming.**
And now...
**I will not remain silent.**
I am a **Virtuous Warrior.** 🎀
And above everything else—
**TO GOD BE THE GLORY! 🙌🏾**
Read my story and shop the **Virtuous Warrior Collection** at **ArizonaWWatkins.com**.
Join me at Fall Line Church on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 12 noon at the Breast Cancer Awareness & Survivors' Luncheon to hear my testimony.
