Before I started breast cancer treatment at age 35, I had all sorts of ideas about how difficult my life was about to get. In a way, I was right. Cancer brought so many challenges, but to my surprise, it also unveiled a courageous side of me that I never knew I had.

I had my initial consultation at MD Anderson in The Woodlands in May 2015. That day, I found out that I’d lose my hair, and depending on my decision, my breasts, too...