Mindy Adelizzi

Survivor

Surviving and Thriving: I Beat Breast Cancer Twice

My first diagnosis was in January, 2011 when I felt a small lump in my right breast. My OBGYN ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound. It then progressed to a biopsy which was a scary and emotional experience for me.

I waited two weeks before my biopsy results were available. It is amazing how long fourteen days can feel like when you are waiting to find out if you have cancer. My OBGYN asked to see me in her office. She sat down, looked me straight in the eyes and said that I have cancer. There was no prior family history of breast cancer. As a 39 year-old women with two young children, I was shocked!

After waiting six weeks to get an appointment with the Oncologist, I learned I would need a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. I recall sitting on the floor of my bedroom absolutely sobbing to my mother on the phone. I was worried about how my 6 and 8 year old children would react. When I got up the courage to tell them, their eyes grew wide with fear.

I was told that my hair would begin falling out shortly after my first chemotherapy session and I was dreading this. Friends and family arranged for a salon to privately host our group and shave off all of my hair. The salon charged us nothing and they were kind and respectful. Nine other people shaved their heads that day to support me in my fight. There are a lot of things about cancer that suck, but not that day. I felt loved, grateful and supported.

It was nine months from my initial diagnosis to finishing my treatments. I started Tamoxifen and felt fairly confident that my cancer journey was over.

But it wasn’t over.

In 2021 I had a standard mammogram. There was concern that there was a mass in my left breast. I returned later that afternoon for an ultrasound. When I saw the look on my doctor’s face, I knew. After the biopsy it was confirmed that I had breast cancer again. My only available option was a double masectomy. My soulmate, and now husband, proposed to me just a week earlier.

The road to recovery was not easy, and the pain and discomfort of the expanders and subsequent surgeries were tough to endure. I found that my positive outlook on life and gratitude for each day were critical to my recovery. I am a true believer in the power of positivity, and I know it played a signifigant role in my healing. I surrounded myself with a supportive community of family and friends, and I made sure to take care of myself physically and emotionally. I hope that my journey helps others facing similiar challenges and inspires others to keep fighting. Never give up! Thank you for reading my story.