My Journey

The Beginning of My Journey

Toward the end of 2018, I noticed pain in my left breast, and it looked a little odd. Honestly, I thought I was having issues with my saline breast implants that I had put in 12 years prior. Cancer wasn't even on my mind.

At that time, my career was thriving. For four years, I worked for one of the largest companies in the world as a project coordinator. I loved that job. It allowed me to travel all over the United States, meet new people, and be recognized as one of the best in my field. That position was my life. It gave me financial stability, independence, and a real sense of purpose.

By 2019, I had been promoted to Assistant Project Manager and relocated to the corporate office. To be honest, I didn't enjoy the role as much as being a project coordinator. Being tied to a desk was something I could never get used to. Still, I stayed in that position until September 2019. At that point, I had been with the company for 4 years and 10 months.

The breast pain was occasional, but I noticed a small sore on my left breast. I planned to travel home to OKC to see my doctor. But on September 26, 2019, everything changed again — my position was eliminated, and suddenly I found myself without a job, stability, or health insurance.

I returned to OKC with one goal: get back on the road with another company as a project manager. I finally secured a position with another well‑known company in March 2020 and stayed until February 2021.

During that time, the sore on my breast continued to grow. By late January 2021, during a visit home, I couldn't ignore it anymore. The sore had expanded, and I knew I needed to see my doctor. I was ashamed to show him my left breast because I felt like I had let my situation get out of control — but even then, I still didn't think it was cancer.

I remember lifting my shirt and showing him my breast. The first thing he said was, "Oh my God." He asked if he could take a photo, and I said yes. He told me he would return in a few minutes, but he didn't come back for 35 minutes. When he finally returned, he told me he had sent the photos to the doctor and that she wanted me to call and make an appointment.

I called immediately. The earliest appointment she had was the following week. I didn't have much time left on my vacation, so I asked for an extra week at home — something inside me knew I needed to stay.

When I finally heard the word cancer, everything inside me froze. Shock. Fear. Disbelief. I didn't want to accept the diagnosis. I thought my life could possibly be over. I thought my career, the thing I worked so hard for, the thing that gave me identity and direction, was over. It felt like the ground disappeared beneath me, leaving me suspended in fear. To be continued.