I was the picture of health - or at least I thought so. I was the typical overscheduled mother of three young children and life couldn't get any busier. My kids at the time were 3, 5, and 7 years old. My youngest had just started preschool and I was planning to go back to work after being a stay-at-home parent for a while. Then, two months later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hormone Receptor positive, HER2 negative invasive Lobular carcinoma. My world was completely turned up side down.

My cancer diagnosis was scary and unexpected. Immediately I thought of my children and my mind kept spiraling into the darkest places. After I had endured a mastectomy, I was hoping to be done and jump back into normalcy. Luckily, the cancer hadn't spread into my lymph nodes; however, sadly, a genomic test revealed that the chance of recurrence was quite high, so I now also needed Chemotherapy. I panicked and couldn't stop crying. Then, my son came up to me and told me, "Mama, I don't want you to cry anymore." I was determined that quitting was not an option and that I would get through treatment with grace. I wanted to be a role model for my children to overcome any obstacle in life. They would still see me sad sometimes but I wouldn't allow myself to cry all day long anymore.

After my first infusion I had another set back, and I was devastated because I suffered almost all of the side effects of chemo. My oncologist recommended a dose reduction. That was a turning point for me during treatment. I knew that I needed every single drop of chemo because I didn't want to take a chance of having my children grow up motherless. I started reading survivor stories and I wanted to know EVERYTHING from other survivors that helped them to get through treatment. It tremendously helped to lift my spirit. I told my oncologist that I needed to get the full dose of chemo and wanted to get another chance.

Soon after that we were juicing, treated food as medicine, added supplemental treatments, and surrounded ourselves with supportive and positive people. Throughout my treatment I kept moving and I never stopped. In the meantime, I reframed my thoughts and I was just so grateful that I had the best team to beat this horrible disease, not only made up of doctors and medical personnel, but also of friends, family, neighbors, and amazing organizations that supported me on this path. Much to the surprise of my oncologist, I suffered almost none of the side effects during each consequent infusion. This allowed us to keep steady routines and created a sense of normalcy, which helped us as a family overcome this challenge.

Western medicine saved my life, but the more holistic approach I took with complementary treatments and changing my lifestyle after active treatment ended allowed me to become the strong woman that I am today. I am not going to lie that this journey wasn't tough. Not just for me, but for my whole family. I knew I needed to share with other women what I had learned and started documenting my journey through the up and downs while also being a mom. This is how my Blog "Navigating Breast Cancer & Motherhood" was born. It is a story that is not just about me, it is about every eighth woman that faces breast cancer during her life time. Many of them are also a mother of younger children. Being a mother alone is hard, but being a mother with cancer is even harder! Despite the challenges, we know that giving up is not an option.

Together, with the right mindset, tools, and resources, we can navigate this new normal and make the most out of it. My greatest hope is that my story inspires and empowers other women to find strength in their own battles, and to remember that they are never alone.

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