I remember staring at the tiled ceiling after my biopsy hearing the doctor say in the background "I will call you tomorrow morning with the results". She'd done this enough times to know before even sending the sample to the labs that it was breast cancer.

I remember staring out the window that next morning at my 5-year-old's backyard playscape as the doctor let me know of my triple positive cancer status.  

I remember sliding down the wall in my bathroom 5 days later, staring at my husband's face and whispering, "It's positive" and then looking down at the pregnancy test in my hands.

And so, OUR journey began. Mine, my husbands, my parents and sister and friends. My 5-year-old daughter and the new little life growing inside me. All with our own challenges and perspectives. And all of us in need of support.

We waited until I was 12 weeks along. Surgery was 2 days later. My first chemo 7 days later. The doctors had been nothing if not clear how incredibly hard it would be to grow this tiny precious person and fight cancer at the same time. They weren't wrong. 6 rounds of chemo (was it morning sickness or chemo sickness?), hospitalizations, daily IV fluids, an exhaustion like no other. I would often glance in the mirror at the pale, bald women with a rounded belly and tubes hanging out of her body. And I would close my eyes, take a breath and open them noting the perfect smile I had added to my face before walking away in hopes it would lessen my families worry. It was all I had left to give.

And then a very tiny but mighty and perfect little girl came into our lives. :)  And all was right in the world for the month break we were given to live on our terms. 

But then it was back to the battle.12 more rounds of chemo, another 6 rounds of HER-2 treatment, 36 rounds of radiation. And before her 1-year birthday, I was given the blessing of being able to 'Ring the Bell'. We had made it. That was 15 years ago.....