In Missy's Words...
As a little girl I had a wonderful childhood. The best parents, grandparents and sisters a girl could ask for. People ask me where I get my strength and positivity from, well it's from my family up-bringing. When I was 13, my father was in a horrible car accident and was paralyzed. I watched my mother do everything for him (dress,bath and feed him) and still be a wonderful mother at the same time. I saw so much that a little girl shouldn't see but seeing that made me learn to fight for what I want and to let nothing stand in the way. My mom is still married to my father to this day, and he is walking like normal. My parents are my inspiration! They taught me to be a fighter!! On April 9, 2010 at the age of 29 I had to hear the words, "I'm sorry Melissa but you have breast cancer. " That day changed the rest of my life and everyone around me too. A person doesn't just get cancer, the whole family does. From that point on I started all my tests , talking to doctors that I never thought I'd have to see and picking wigs out. At one point my doctors said your test results show that your cancer has grown to your liver too and that makes me have stage 4 breast cancer. At that point it meant more invasive chemotherapy and a hormone blocker too. The thought of being bald was something that I just couldn't accept. The thought of losing my hair and losing my boobs was just so overwhelming. I shouldn't have to see this at 29...no woman should. Breast cancer takes every ounce of womanhood you have and if you let it it will take more. On April 28th, 2010 I started a 6 month course of chemo and lost my hair :( On October 26th 2010 I decided to have a double mastectomy done and kick this cancers ass. Well...I felt like a boy for months. I underwent breast reconstruction and it took about 7 months for me to feel like a woman again. I was great for a couple months and then my cancer decided it wanted to pay me a visit again....it decided to attack my bones. I started a new chemo regimen and I was feeling fantastic, they sent me for a scan and discovered it was in my lungs. So....new chemo regimen again!! I was on my new regimen for about a year and half and started having headaches, they sent me for a scan and showed two tumors on my brain. On August 14th, 2012 I started full blown brain radiation and went through the worst torture ever. I had a hysterectomy done on January 21st, 2013 and thought that would help my hormones stop, but my cancer decided to grow some more. It came back in my chest area and grew some more on my liver. So I have to keep my faith strong that this chemo regimen will work and give me a couple more years. In the past three years I learned that no one is invicible, Sickness and death have no age. LIVE, LOVE and LAUGH like there is no tomorrow:) |