So, we last spoke of November 6, 2012, the day that marked my lumpectomy. But before we delve into the surgeries, I must circle back to the moment of diagnosis—a day filled with a tumultuous mix of apprehension, shock, and heartache. There I was, flanked by my mother, the beacon of my strength, and her lifelong friend, my godmother. A trifecta of hope, we clung to each other as we stepped into the unknown.
You see, upon being called in, I bravely entered the consultation room alone. If it was bad news, I wanted to cushion the blow for them and be the bearer of my own storm. As I settled in, one doctor entered, followed by another, and then a stranger—someone who clearly wasn’t a doctor. My heart sank—the atmosphere was thick with foreboding. The words flowed, but my ears latched onto two: "Stage 0" and "cancer." It felt like the room was closing in on me, and every other sentence was just a blur of sounds.
Emerging from that room, I locked eyes with my mother, and without a word spoken, she knew. Their embrace—warm, comforting, and full of silent understanding—became my refuge. While the news was a blow, I was bruised, yes, but not broken.
Fast forward to the surgery. You'd think, once done, that would be the end. But sadly, life had other plans. A mere fortnight later, I was preparing for another operation. The edges of the initial procedure weren’t clear of cancer cells. And just when I thought I was ready to move forward, the second surgery yielded the same distressing results. The margins were still not clear.
The subsequent months felt like a torturous limbo. Due to my weight, crucial imaging—a breast MRI—was inaccessible. Every day was a cruel reminder of the limitations, making me question my worth and the hand fate dealt me. But as you're reading this now, needless to say, my story didn’t end there.
March 2013 brought with it the third surgery. My body, worn from the strain of operations, anesthesia, and a relentless search for a suitable MRI machine, protested. In its exhaustion, I was hospitalized with bilateral pulmonary embolisms—a life-threatening condition. But the spirit that carried me this far wasn't about to give up.
By early May, I was prepped for my fourth and final surgery—a complete mastectomy. The hospital became my home for a week. But as you've probably guessed, this isn't where my tale concludes. Onward we go, friends, for there's more to share and lessons to be gleaned.