Nicole Hood

Living with MBC

I have no idea where to start I’m not good at remembering dates and times like most survivor stories I’ve read. I thought a lot about what I’d say if I were to ever respond or share my story. It all started in March of 2013 and in June 2013 I was getting a double mastectomy. Wow I didn’t realize I had stage 3 breast cancer until I woke up from surgery. I never had the time to actually think about it because my grandmother was suffering from Brain cancer. All my time was spent thinking about her, my family and her children. You see I love my family more then anything and was more concerned about them and not myself. I knew I had to just power through this for my family after all they don’t need to have the extra worry right? We the first thing I’d like to let everyone know is that having Breast Cancer is not just getting your boobs removed and then you go home! So do your homework people. I didn’t I just jumped on the ride and didn’t check the height requirements! Chemo is hard , radiation is hard but the after effects are probably the worst! Once I finished the treatments all these emotions that I had pushed aside resurfaced and that’s all that was on my mind. Not to mention the way I looked not having the best feeling about myself at times. My breast cancer navigator was a great helping hand and a good listener . Well I got over it and life went on and back to what we survivors call normal life after treatment. Then August 3, 2015 came and this date I’ll never forget I went in for my blood draw and left. Well this date was a game changer my cancer is back and it’s gone to my spine, liver and lymph nodes! This time I was told that I now have a cronic disease and I now have to learn to live with it for the rest of my life. But what is that mean ??? Well for me it meant that whatever I have to do I’ll fight harder then before , I’ll do the the research and I know what I’m facing. I have a husband and two little girls that I will see graduate high school. For my mother and father that was not enough they didn’t understand why I’d want to only live for another 13 years. I simply explained to them that that’s my first goal and then when I meet that one I’ll set another. Yes it’s hard not to think about death daily but when I really think about it a picture of my husband trying to comb my 6 year olds hair makes me fight harder. What I can say it that I live everyday to the fullest. I enjoy my family, friends and yes even work. I don’t talk about cancer unless asked its not something I want to dwell on daily. I’m going to live as if I don’t have cancer on the days I can and fight hard on the days I feel like I do! The best advise I can give is that a bad day is ok to have you don’t have to be strong all the time and you will get through.