October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for me, those pink ribbons carry a meaning I never expected them to have. I am a breast cancer survivor. But there is one part of my story that I especially want women to hear, because knowing what I know today, I would have handled it very differently.
My lump was there a year before my cancer diagnosis. When it was first discovered, the doctor immediately told me, “It's benign.” I trusted that answer. I did have a mammogram that year, but the lump was not identified as cancer on that mammogram either. So I went on with my life believing I had been given the reassurance I needed.
But the lump never went away. By the following year, it was still there. This time, further testing eventually led to the answer I should have pushed harder to get the year before: it was cancer.
Looking back, I can't know exactly what would have happened if additional testing had been done that first year. But I do know what I would do differently today.
I would have made sure the area I could feel was specifically addressed during my mammogram. I would have asked more questions. I would have asked whether an ultrasound or other additional testing was appropriate. And if I still didn't feel comfortable with the answer, I would have gotten a second opinion.
Don't dismiss something that feels off in your own body just because someone tells you it's
probably fine. Doctors are incredibly important, and I am deeply grateful for the medical professionals who ultimately cared for me. But we also have to be active participants in our own healthcare.
You live in your body every single day. You know what is normal for you.
If something doesn't feel right, keep asking questions. If a lump is still there, follow up. If you're
uncomfortable with an answer, ask what other testing is available. And if necessary, get another
opinion.
Advocating for yourself isn't being difficult. It's taking care of yourself.
I can't go back and change that first year. But I can talk about it now in hopes that another woman will hear my story and think, I'm going to get this checked again.
A year later, my life was filled with appointments, scans, surgeries and eventually chemotherapy.
Living in western Wyoming added another layer to cancer treatment: distance.
Some of my care took place at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. I am incredibly grateful for the expertise and care I received there. But Salt Lake City is hours from home, and anyone who has gone through cancer treatment knows how exhausting treatment itself can be - without adding hours of travel each way.
That’s why having Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs became such
an important part of my journey. I received my chemotherapy and many of my follow-up appointments there, much closer to home. The care I received was excellent, but what I remember just as much is how I was treated as a person.
When you're sitting in an infusion chair receiving chemotherapy, the people caring for you become part
of your story. They see you when you're scared. They answer your questions. They celebrate when you finish another treatment. And sometimes simply having familiar faces close to home makes an incredibly difficult experience feel a little less overwhelming.
Having quality cancer care available in southwest Wyoming meant fewer hours on the road and more time at home recovering and being with the people I loved.
That mattered more than I can adequately put into words.
My cancer journey didn't go the way I expected. There were complications. There were changes to the treatment plan. There were frightening days and incredibly difficult ones.
But there were also people who showed up for me, healthcare professionals who cared for me, family who stood beside me and a body that proved much stronger than I ever knew.
Today, when I think about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I think about awareness differently.
Of course, awareness means screenings and mammograms. But it also means being aware of your own body. Know what is normal for you. Pay attention when something changes. Ask questions. Advocate for yourself. Get a second opinion. Request the additional test. Don't worry about whether you're being a bother. You are worth getting answers. And if you find yourself facing a cancer diagnosis in rural Wyoming, know that having access to excellent care closer to home can make an enormous difference during one of the hardest seasons of your life.
I will always be grateful for the care I received throughout my journey, but most of all, for the
incredible support that surrounded me every step of the way - from my family, friends, coworkers, and the local Kicking Cancer organization, to the amazing teams who cared for me at Huntsman Cancer Institute and closer to home through Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.
It truly took a village, and I will never forget the people who showed up for me during one of the
hardest seasons of my life. I can't go back and change how my story began.
But if telling it encourages even one person to listen to their body, ask one more question
or seek another opinion, then sharing it is worth it.
