In August 2013, I tested positive for a BRCA genetic mutation, which increases the chances that I would develop breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Add that to a family history of aggressive breast cancer, and you have a recipe for constant worry and sleepless nights, anxiety and a feeling of helplessness.
In my conversations with other women like me, there was always a general sense of, "Whew, I made it another year" after...
The importance of laughter grows even greater when life gets heavy, although it can be hard to see the need for it when you're right in the...
It's difficult to condense the emotional and physical tolls that a mastectomy brings. It's life-changing, but so worth it.
After...
Twenty years ago, while a college senior, I spent weekends commuting from Austin to Houston to care for my 42-year-old mother. She was battling an aggressive form of stage IV breast cancer and was told her odds for survival were less than 20%. After witnessing first-hand her intense, four-year battle that included chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow extraction, a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, I wondered for years if and when...
