Jennifer's survivor story

I was diagnosed on October 16, 2015 with stage one estrogen progesterone positive breast cancer. I was lying down on my stomach one night and I felt an ache in my breast. When I felt it, I felt a little knot.

I didn't have any insurance at the time and normally I would just ignore it, but something told me to go and get it checked out. I went to another facility, was diagnosed there, and was recommended to see Dr. Colfry.

I had a lumpectomy. Three lymph nodes were removed from under my arm. The surgery couldn't have gone any better.

I went through six to eight weeks of radiation. I had third degree burns because of the radiation and through it, I had to make sure I maintained a positive attitude.

My gynecologist had been begging me to go in because she found a ten cm cysts on my ovaries during the time I was going through radiation. I was told that I had enough fibroid tumors to be the equivalent of a four month pregnancy. Six months after my breast cancer surgery, I had to have a full hysterotomy. I had just met my now-fiancé so that was hard. It was very difficult. Luckily I had made it a point to research everything that the doctors had told me so I could understand how the female reproductive system and breast cancer correlate.

Breast cancer changes every aspect of your life. I thought I would be able to get through it and move on, but it seems that the longer I've gone, in some ways, the harder it has gotten.

A lot of people have commended me on my strengthen because I look at it as another speed bump in life. I was just going to get through this little hurdle and keep moving.