“I have used social media to tell my friends instead of having to call them. I think this is because I really thought that since I tested negative for the BRCA1&2 genes and had checkups since I was 30 because of my mom’s own breast cancer history I was in the clear. “

“I knew very little, especially about metastatic breast cancer. I never considered myself at risk, and certainly didn’t know the statistics, like that 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetimes, and 30% of those diagnoses will metastasize, and that metastatic disease only receives 7% of funding for research but still has a life expectancy under 4 years and kills 114 people each day.”

“I had never, ever, in my deepest of life’s depression, considered suicide. My very first chemo dose in 2017, the steroids hit me so bad, I was refusing to go back. I was able to look my (at the time) four year old right in the eye and think she was better off without me. I’d never been in that spot before, or even remotely considered it, and it was educational. I went back and immediately talked about how it felt and we cut the steroids. Everything after that. . . . was kind of bearable. I learned to accept how I cope with things, that showing off and feeling awful are ok, and so long as I get up the next day, I might as well do it again. What else am I doing, anyway?”

"I don’t like the term 'fighter' or 'war' or 'she lost her battle'. I have cancer. It is part of me. To say it’s a war implies I am at war with myself. And I am not.Cancer is like a passenger in a car. Sometimes it sits quietly in the back, sometimes it back seat drives, sometimes it the passenger, and sometimes it’s the driver. No matter what, I feel like I’m driving on flat tires, but at least I’m moving forward.
Cancer might kill me some day- But NOT TODAY!”

“When I was first diagnosed with Stage 3c Ovarian Cancer, I had an incredibly tough time throughout treatment, however I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I ended up becoming NED (No Evidence of Disease), even though there was a high chance of recurrence, I could rationalize that maybe, just maybe, I’d had bad luck in getting this disease, but it was just a one off and I’d miraculously “beat it”. However once it recurred, it became clear that it would just keep coming back. I had to adjust my mindset to cope with the fact that I would always be living WITH cancer.”

"When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it came out that I had an aunt (my dad's sister) who died of ovarian cancer, but they kept calling it "stomach cancer". If you have anyone in your family who talks about "stomach cancer", you may want to ask more questions, because it could really be a gynecological cancer that they are covering up.

Also, my uncle died of lung cancer, which really ended up being lymphoma that went into his lymph nodes. When it comes to family history, depending on your family's culture, there can be "taboo" issues. It’s so important to get past those taboo topics to get the information that you need for your health."

“At the end of the day, you know your body more than anyone, if something doesn’t feel quite right, question it, demand more tests. I didn’t. I took everything they said and accepted it ("You’re ok, its just pains form your period, its the cysts they come and go, its cant be more than that you’re too young, its your diet- change your diet, here some painkillers you should be fine within a couple of days") If something doesn’t feel right, over and over, don't just numb with with painkillers or other meds, get checked out, get a second opinion.”

"I try to create awareness for my stage 4 diagnosis that it’s chronic. I am not going anywhere the coming years, that’s what I hope and feel... And for me to stay here even longer, I need people to donate for more research to find a cure. I wish people understood that currently there is no cure. I believe in miracles, and I always say out loud for the universe to hear it; There will be a cure for me. I will celebrate my 50th birthday!"

"I wish there was a voice for women with Ovarian Cancer. Every foundation we have contacted tells us that they do not support Ovarian Cancer, only Breast Cancer. Do they know that Ovarian Cancer kills 80% of women!? There needs to be more awareness so if my little story can help, I want to help!"

“The hardest was having a double mastectomy.”

“I knew breast cancer was out there but really thought only people much older could get it. I mean at 38 you don’t even get mammograms yet. I had no idea there were different types and what a diagnosis really entailed.”

“Finding a new normal is not so easy. I try to live above the fear it leaves you in, and to slow the rush I feel to experience as much life as possible. Now if I had others around me that wanted to experience as many things, new foods and new places as me then game would be on!!! But for me the fear doesn’t lessen as time goes on like you think it would; it grows… retreats…hibernates…comes back out.”

"My passion now is to help any person who comes behind me and has to fight this horrible disease. I don’t have all the answers, but I will try to point them in the right direction if I can. I also want to be a champion for minority women who have breast cancer. For whatever the reason may be, we lag behind when it comes to research studies and new treatment options. Especially when it comes to Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Just looking at the women on Instagram, more than half of them who have TPNBC are women of color. I want someone to research this and find out why!! TNBC is the most deadliest form of BC to have and in my opinion, not enough is being done to figure out why."

"I am very grateful for all the research that breast cancer has received, but I do think all the marketing around it has made people a little numb to the reality. Breast cancer is still incurable when it spreads to distant organs, and we need to do more to find a cure for Stage IV. Instead of buying a pink coffee mug or t-shirt, I wish people would directly donate to organizations that fund breast cancer research directly ( like Metavivor) so we can don’t have to hope for a cure but that we can actually research a cure."

"This leads me to another piece of advice - don’t be afraid to have a conversation with your doctor. Don’t be embarrassed to speak up about something you’re uncomfortable with or disagree with. "

"Take each day as it comes. Rest when you need to. Listen to your body. So many people have opinions about everything, try not to let them tell you how to live your life, other than the professionals of course. Nobody can tell you how you should feel. Take help when you need it."

"You will need all the help, love, and support people are willing to give. Don’t shut down and shut people out, that will only bring more sadness and depression on yourself. It is OKAY TO FEEL SAD AND BE UPSET, you are going to experience every emotion. It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to be angry, you have every right to be. Don’t feel like you need to stay positive 24/7 because what you’re going through sucks and it’s not fair, so don’t disregard those feelings. But don’t fester and stay in that place of sadness and anger, because you can get stuck there."

"My first piece of advice is to understand that this too shall pass. There were days when I was so sick from chemo that I couldn’t even get off the couch. It made me feel better knowing that I wouldn’t feel this way forever and that each day it would get better. My second piece of advice is to know that you are way more strong and resilient than you ever thought you were. These two qualities have made me the woman I am today and I never knew how strong I was until I had to fight cancer. I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to!"

"I tried to focus on what I was grateful for. I had my amazing and supportive husband, my adorable puppy and a community if loving friends/family surrounding me. I felt inspired by my blog, which helped give me perspective and refocus my grief into goals. I also worked more on 'choosing happiness' instead of waiting for it to come to me. I finally realized that I was in control of my own emotions."

"Returning to my favorite hobbies - yoga and circus aerials - has been so healing. Getting married and making long term plans is healing too. There’s the fear that making plans is arrogant, we survivors all have the same fears, we know too well what could go wrong. But I try to tell myself that a recurrence will be just as devastating no matter what I do, so I might as well keep on like it’s not going to happen. "

"Breast Cancer awareness is not just in October. It is 365 days a year."

"I have lived through a lot and I am still standing. I embrace my body and my amazon like one-boob look and I am just so damn happy to be alive and plan to be here for as long as I can shouting from the rooftops that I made it and so can you - and that it sucks but it can always be worse. We are not in charge of what happens next but we can help each other through it."

"I knew that this disease is a killer, and that I was staring my mortality in the face. I guess I was in shock for a couple days, because I never knew men could get breast cancer. The reality is that 1 in 1000 men get this type of cancer."

"I learned that I am not in control of ANYTHING but I can control my reaction.  I allow myself to grieve, have a bad day but then get back up."

"Cancer may have thrown a wrench in my 'past' life, but it also created a new beginning- corny but true. It’s like there’s a BC (before cancer) and AC (after cancer). I’m still that person I was before, just wiser now, more carefree, and braver. I’m more willing to take risks and do things that scare me, like travel alone or speak in front of a crowd. I feel more like the real me- it’s so crazy but true."

"Before cancer, I was afraid to do what I want. Always worried I would upset someone. Now I have embraced who I really am. I’m no longer trying to fit in the mold that I thought I needed to be in."

"I will say, I wish I started [emotional] therapy earlier. I always felt I was never “ready.” I was always trying to be strong; thinking I had to deal with everything on my own. This world is big, it’s complex, and you need help to navigate it. You can't always get that from your loved ones. Having someone else as the sounding board helping me work through my feelings and emotions, my anger and fear, has been incredibly healing. Asking for help doesn't make you weak, it makes you stronger."

“Honor yourself, care for yourself and don’t feel ashamed to be selfish with your time. This also includes freeing yourself from always feeling like you have to be a hero. There’s a time and a place for tying that cape around your neck, but you also have the right to wallow as needed; just make sure you don’t set up camp there.”

“Being an outsider, you assume the hardest thing a cancer patient goes through is the treatment itself…but in my opinion, it’s not. The hardest part is what comes next…when treatment stops, but you still look sick, you still have to go to appointment after appointment, you fear a recurrence and your life that once was no longer exists and you have to put the pieces back together in a way that’s a bit different.”

“If there is an opportunity for me to share my story or talk with someone, I always do. The biggest thing is to share our stories. Anyone who follows me on Facebook or Instagram knows that I’ll share because knowledge is power- if someone has a family member going through it, they can see me as another resource.”

I’d also like to help ovarian cancer become a disease that is ruled out, rather than ruled in. So many women spend months to years fighting to get a diagnosis. It shouldn’t be so difficult.

"The first diagnosis was the hardest moment, the doctor said I basically had six months. I have a little girl, which at that moment was young (almost 3 years old). My husband, who is very strong, was devastated. It was a hard hard moment to get through. But after that, after rock bottom, all we had left was to stand up, so I did it, WE did it, as a family. And 3 years later, I’m still here living my life, seeing my little princess grow, and getting thanking God for letting me be here."

“What I thought was just a sudden weight lost, turned out to be something more serious. My stomach was bloated a lot at the time. Eventually, I went to the emergency room. The doctors thought I was pregnant because of how my stomach looked. They didn't see or hear a heart beat, which is when they discovered the fluid. That explained where all the bloating came from. They drained all the fluid out of my stomach. They filled up 6 1/2 tubes.”

“Cancer forces you to face your mortality, and especially after ovarian, that feeling is heightened. However, it’s important to look past the statistics, talk to long-term survivors (they are out there), and just live life as fully as possible.”

"I will continue to communicate my blurb to every single news organization which continues to report solely on breast cancer.  "If breast cancer is the ying then ovarian cancer is the yang. To report solely on breast cancer in the age of Angelina Jolie and the discovery of the BRCA genes is not only irresponsible, it’s infuriating. Next time please don’t follow everyone else’s lead, set the example.”

I wish that more people understood how dangerous OVCA is. That is has a frighteningly high recurrence rate, and that there is NO FORMAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST. A Pap smear tests for cervical cancer, not ovarian. Because of this, you have to stay extra vigilant. If you feel off, ask your doctor for a transvaginal ultrasound. If you still feel off, ask them for a CA-125.

After hearing the word "cancer" I asked, "Will I die if I have cancer?" She replied, "No. Some of my patients are almost done with their treatment, and there are others just about to start". 

Not only have I become the CEO and Head of Advocacy of My Own Personal Health, but I have learned how to love and be loved. While I will always be learning, difficult times bring out the best in the people who love you and you love.

“I believe that there needs to be more young adult cancer peer groups. Young former cancer patients like myself struggle to make new friends due to long lasting side effects and disabilities that result from our cancer. These side effects and disabilities cause us to no longer be able to do a lot of things most other young adults like to do. I feel that if we form more cancer peer groups, than young adults  who have a harder time getting around can bond with others in similar shoes. “

“I am only going to be young once and I want to experience everything I can before it’s too late.”

“I have been going to a camp called Camp Quality since 2014. This camp is where kids with cancer go and get to be kids again. We go for a week in the summer and I have a “camper” that had cancer. All the kids that go there have or had cancer and multiple kids had Hodgkins, but I honestly didn’t know what it was- I just knew *of* it.”

“I confirmed my belief that we must look at all the wonderful things we have in life and practice gratitude, even on our darkest days. In order to overcome our life’s adversities, we must focus on what we can control as opposed to what is out of our hands. “

"I’ve definitely learned to just go with the flow and realize that I can’t change anything, the only thing I can change is my attitude. I’ve learned to worry less and to just deal with things as they happen, that has helped a lot."

"NOTHING HAPPENS TO YOU, IT HAPPENS FOR YOU."

"Be sure to follow the exact orders of your doctor. Pray. Stay positive and have those around you deal with anything stressful and/or negative in your life so you can place all of your focus and energy on the fight. Be honest and open about how you are feeling emotionally and physically. Allow yourself SELF time."

"I am trying to spread the word that cancer effects the lives of many, no matter the age."

"According to your terms I am a Cancer Grad from the gifted program with a masters in Wilms Tumour :-) Wow, sounds so cool!!" 

"Finish Stronger Than You Started."

"Cancer is HARD and sometimes it is REALLY HARD but this is why it is so important for us to talk about this."

"Let your passion, whatever it is, become your gift to the community."

"I learned to be patient. When dealing with raising a significant amount of money, you have to learn how to work with other people and that mistakes happen."

"Don't feel like you can't do anything."