Cancer Free

Today marks the 37th anniversary of being cancer free.

At the young age of 27, I became one of the youngest people in my state to be diagnosed with breast cancer. I underwent a radical mastectomy. While that news is devastating to a young woman, the bad news came a few days later.

My doctors told me that, because of the type of breast cancer I had, a pregnancy would be 100% failure. He said that if I lived through a pregnancy, I would not live long enough to see the child raised, possibly not even enter school. I had no children. This news tore my heart out.

I went through all the stages of grief. One of my doctors had calmly warned me of what I would go through on my journey to recovery.

My marriage ended. The breast cancer did not cause the marriage to fail. The breast cancer was perhaps the last straw. To be honest with myself, we were two people who should never have married.

I married again. Six years later, God placed a beautiful baby girl in my arms. She was as close to being like me as if I had her myself. Many times, I told her that my father and brother, who died before she was born, had marked her just for me. She looked like me, but in many ways, she had the traits of Ted (Chisai).

With my whole heart, I loved that little girl and nothing will ever change.

Shortly before she became ill with her anoxic brain injury, Brenna encouraged me to write MY life story. She felt that as a young breast cancer survivor, as the survivor of an abusive marriage, and the survivor of  total and failed breast reconstruction, that my story would benefit others.

I didn't realize that within a few short weeks, our world would turn upside down and the story to tell would be hers.

Will I ever get around to writing my story? God has not called me to do so. Brenna's story was 30 years in the making. Hers is the story he wants me to share.

As soon as this last revision is complete, I have plans to introduce the book in Spanish.