Four Weeks After Giving Birth to My Third Child, I Was Diagnosed With Stage IV Cancer

Today I’m 38 and have been in menopause for four years—but there’s no evidence of active disease in my body. I’m still on the same medications as they’re still working.  In the cancer world, treatment plans are called “lines of treatment.”  You have your first line, second line, third line, etc.  As one stops working, you move to your “next line”; they typically get more toxic and less tolerable.  I’m so fortunate to have remained on my first line of treatment going on five and half years now.  My quality of life is excellent.

I’ve also had breast reconstruction on my mastectomy side, opting for a procedure called a DIEP flap which uses a patient’s tissue (versus an implant) after a tummy tuck–like procedure. Recovery was long, but I’m grateful and happy with the results.

Before all of this happened, I definitely took life and relationships for granted, big-time. Now every birthday and every holiday is worth celebrating. Every little milestone my kids reach—and the fact that I’m here to witness them—makes simple moments doubly precious. Now that I’m living with metastatic breast cancer, I’ve become very aware of how lucky I am to be here to experience all of these things.

Our kids are now 15, 12, and 5. I’ve gotten to witness milestones that, statistically speaking, I shouldn’t have been here for. My son started high school (he’s currently a sophomore) and has started dating. My oldest daughter is in seventh grade, plays soccer, and just joined a musical theater group. And my youngest, who was just weeks old when I was first diagnosed, has started kindergarten. I’m still hopeful that I’ll be here for my kids’ college graduations and perhaps with more research, beyond that.

Meanwhile, my family has traveled to Costa Rica. We explored the jungle and went snorkeling and zip-lining for the first time. My husband and I traveled to Paris and Portugal. In Paris, we saw the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, weaved around the city on scooters, and ate a ridiculous amount of pastries. In Portugal, we went kayaking in and around sea caves and walked around castles. Next month we’re off to Greece!