On December 12, 2011, two weeks prior to my 25th birthday, I got a present I never wished for: "You have breast cancer."

I'd heard the term cancer before -- after I'd had adrenal cancer as an 18-month-old.

But this time I was all grown up and about to start nursing school.

How my adult cancer journey began

One day I felt a lump on my breast, which led to a doctor's visit. That led...