I guess it makes sense to start at the very beginning. I've had so many questions as to how my Breast Cancer was found, my treatment, etc. and I think my story is important because you always hear about early detection saving lives but I'm literally living it.

In February, I gave birth to my beautiful baby girl, Alexandria Grace. I go back this far because she was the reason I was at the doctor's office this day. It was my 6 week post-partum appointment. During the appointment, I said to the doctor that I had turned 40 last June but I was pregnant at the time, so I never had my mammogram. She replied that it was so soon after my pregnancy that I might as well wait until my 6 month appointment to have it done. She told me to remind her in August and she would write the script for it. We continued on with the appointment.

A few minutes later, I said to her that I really wanted to get my mammogram out of the way. I was returning to work and I really didn't want to have to take time off from work once I went back. Other than that, I'm not really sure why I pushed for it. Divine intervention maybe? Anyway, she reluctantly agreed and said I would be hearing from the imaging office in a few days to make my appointment. This one sentence asking for this test would probably be the most important thing I ever said in my life. It SAVED my life.

A few days later on May 3rd, I showed up at my Imagecare appointment. I had my mammogram and went home minutes later to tend to my daughter. Easy right?

The next day, I received a phone call bright and early from Imagecare saying that the radiologist wanted me to return to get more imaging. The woman said it happens all the time. I was annoyed. Why couldn't they have done more imaging the day before? Now I needed to find someone to watch my daughter again.

I showed up again on May 8th for another mammogram and an ultrasound. Three hours later, I was fuming because of the amount of time it had taken and I needed to pick up my daughter. Then the doctor came in and in a very insensitive way said that he was 99% sure I had Breast Cancer. I'm sorry what??

The rest of the day was a blur. I met with the practice navigator and she explained to me that I needed to have a biopsy. She went through all the steps and I didn't hear a word. I sat in the parking lot and called everyone close to me and every one of them said there's no way it was possible. There's no family history of ANY cancer in my family, much less breast cancer. My quick Google search showed that only 20% of biopsies are cancerous. There. That doctor didn't know what he was talking about!

Next was the biopsy. I had it done on the left side, where they saw the suspicious mass. It was quick and semi-painless. Now the waiting began. Six days later on May 12th, the radiologist that did my biopsy called to say it came back positive for invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), commonly known as breast cancer. But don't worry she said, it was the most common form of cancer and it looks like it was caught early. It was officially the worst day of my life.

The strange part of it was that a friend and co-worker of mine, also named Jenn, had just been diagnosed with breast cancer the month before me. As much as I hated that both of us were going through it, she was going to be my saving grace throughout everything.

I soon met with one of the top oncologists in the area (also my friend's doctor) and he reassured me that my cancer was easily treated with a lumpectomy and radiation and was caught very early. Ok, I can handle this.

Fast forward....I had an MRI done and they found 3 more tumors that none of the other tests had found. So that meant more ultrasounds and biopsies. I finally sat down with my surgeon and she unloaded all of the bad news. Two of the tumors were definitely cancerous, one was pre-cancerous and the third they didn't know exactly but they were assuming it was cancerous as well. I needed a double mastectomy to eradicate the cancer. But that would probably be it. I would be cancer free.

I cried. And cried. And cried. I once again sat in the parking lot calling everyone I loved because I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't drive, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. I couldn't even attempt to accept what was happening. I had a 3 month old at home! Were they kidding? I can't hold my daughter for MONTHS!?

So I did what I always do. I felt sorry for myself, cried more tears than I thought I had, shut down, got depressed. Then one day I decided I was done with all of that. I had a daughter that needed her mom for a long time. I had a new husband, a new family. I looked at my sweet girl and she was going to give me all of the strength I needed. Time to suck it up and fight.

On June 24th, I had my double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, a 4 hour surgery. I woke up and everything had gone exactly how it was supposed to. It was time to heal and the nightmare would soon be over. Or so I thought.....

A week later I went to my surgeon's office to have my bandages and drains removed, which was going to be the best feeling in the world. That is until the surgeon slammed the next hammer down. The cancer had spread. They found a 5.5 mm tumor in one of the lymph nodes they removed during surgery. The scariest word now was in play....."chemo." 5.5 mm was now ruining my life. What started out to be cancer they caught really early ended up being stage 2B, grade 2 cancer.

Back to the oncologist where my least favorite word was now a reality. 5 months of chemo, 20 radiation treatments, and hormone therapy for several years after. Life as I knew it was over. As he went through all of the side effects of the chemo, I couldn't hold back any longer and the oncologist gave my husband a box of tissues. How did I get here? I was having the best year of my life. I had just gotten married and had my daughter. In April, I made the remark that it was the happiest and healthiest I had ever been. In a few short months, I had to quit my job due to the diagnosis, had to have body parts amputated, and now I was going to be as sick as a dog for the next 6+months, injecting a ton of poison in my body. I would lose my hair, miss my daughter's first Christmas, her first birthday. Everyone says she won't remember because she's too young. But I'll remember.

So this is where I find myself today. I'm currently seeking a second opinion on my treatment plan at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC and a third opinion in Syracuse . Never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine the fear I am experiencing. I'm no stranger to health problems, trust me. But this diagnosis has turned my life upside down. At 41, I will be fighting cancer for the rest of my life. I will always worry if it is reoccurring somewhere else in my body and I will then be stage 4. I will worry about my daughter and whether she will face this as well. I'm normally so put together but this last week has unraveled me like no other. The decisions I have to make are so important. They're life or death. I'm so lucky to have the support system I have but in the end, it's all on me.

I try to look at the few positives there are. First, I pushed for the mammogram. Every doctor has said someone upstairs was watching over me that day (thank you Dad!). If I had waited another 6 months, my story may not have ended so well. This is a day I live over and over again in my head. One in eight women will have breast cancer in their lifetime. Since then, many of my friends have gone to get their mammograms as well. If I save just one life by telling my story, it will be worth it. Second, they say you always know who your friends are when you're going through a tough time and they weren't kidding. I am amazed by the outpouring of love I have received from family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and I could go on and on. I never realized how many people cared.

There's a saying that everything happens for a reason. I feel like I've been told this a million times in my life and I normally just grumble back at the person saying it. What reason could there be that I get diagnosed with cancer when my daughter is only 3 months old? I guess we'll see where life takes me. But for the time being, please say a prayer for my family and I. Especially for my little girl, who will always be my "reason" to fight.