Elisabeth Gramajo

Survivor

How Cancer Strengthened My Faith In God 

Back in 2022 I was diagnosed with stage three triple negative filtrating ductal carcinoma that had my test size to my left axillary lymph nodes. I was 45 years old with no history of breast, cancer and my family. I was tested for the breast cancer, gene, and found that I did not carry that gene either. I was just one of those unfortunate cases. When people ask me how my breast cancer was found, they find it amazing when I tell them the story. But I will keep it short. An ex boyfriend of mine had come back into my life in January 2022. We reconciled and not even a week later he found my cancer. I will never forget him, hugging me, and as we were affectionate, I felt pain in my left side. And just then was when he said he felt something. At the time I thought it was a cruel joke. But when he grabbed my hand, and had me feel it myself. Was when I finally realized that there wasn’t something there. I had a tumor that was the size of a golf ball. It was just underneath my skin right behind my nipple. It felt hard like a rock. And my left breast was swollen. That night Was the worst night of my life. I was devastated to say the least. I remember him telling me how crazy it was that he came back into my life and just a few days later found my cancer. And I’ll never forget him repeatedly telling me over and over that the reason he contacted me was because he felt something pulling him towards me. He couldn’t quite explain it, but after finding my cancer, he felt he had his answers. A week after we felt a mass in my breast was when I found out that it was definitely cancer. We were beyond devastated. My treatment plan was six months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. My oncologist wanted to be very aggressive with my treatment since I was still triple negative. It wasn’t until about a month into my chemo treatment that he left me. I felt abandoned, but I didn’t let it stop me from fighting. I moved on rather quickly and prioritized my health over anything else. After six months of treatments I was scheduled for my single mastectomy with delayed reconstructive surgery. I ended up having to have more chemotherapy after my surgery in the form of oral chemo. I was also placed on immunotherapy again and was only able to handle a couple more months of that before my body began to reject it. I was hospitalized for a week due to immunotherapy. Everything was going wrong in my body. It was pretty scary but I stayed strong. I always told myself that if I remained positive, I could beat this. I prayed every time I had a diagnostic test. And I always felt a calming come over me when I did. And looking back at how my cancer was found, it is clear to me that my ex-boyfriend came back into my life for a reason. It was a blessing in disguise. And even though he left me, I was at peace with it, because I knew that he was meant to come into my life again only temporarily to save my life because I honestly don’t know if I would’ve found it myself. And if I did, I am quite sure it would’ve been much more advanced by the time I would’ve found it. I was not one who performed self breast exams. Something that I will always regret. I am now in remission and it has been 18 months that I have been in remission. I am so grateful to God that I am where I am today. But I am even more grateful that he sent an angel into my life to save me. The journey was definitely a tough one. I struggled with many of the side effects of my treatments. My last treatment was last summer and ever since then I am still recovering. I find that I am still very fatigue and I feel sick quite often. So, even though I am in remission, I am still struggling. My life has definitely changed after cancer. But looking back at my journey, I know that it was all meant to happen. It strengthen me in ways that I couldn’t imagine. It helped me see the world in a different perspective. It help me to forgive faster and love harder. And the love that I always had for my children has grown immensely. But I fought for them. They were my rock. Even though I do still feel sick often I am still grateful and I feel blessed to be alive to see another day. And my story is my testimony.