Michelle Marie

As soon as he’d fully recovered, we felt like cancer champions ready to take on anything. They obviously didn’t fully understand why mom was in this state & why they couldn’t sit on my lap or hug me like they desperately wanted, it honestly broke my heart. As I was going through chemo, Brian noticed new lumps on his skin & we became concerned his cancer had returned. My fear was that they would hear of a friend who’d lost a loved one to cancer, causing them to worry that mom or dad could be on the same path.

Donna’s first step in her treatment began with a lumpectomy & reconstruction in July 2016 where they also removed 24 lymph nodes. During her  treatment however, Donna’s reconstructed breast essentially burst causing the harvested fat to spill out! She says she’s always valued life, she’s always laughed & allowed herself to be silly, but cancer has taught her to be brave. She says, she feels more blessed than she deserves & is grateful for the second chance at life & thankful for all the wonderful people God has brought into her life through her journey over the last year.

I wouldn’t say that I’m glad I had cancer, because… well, to be quite honest, it sucked. Before cancer came my way, I was basically going through the motions of life, eating whatever was convenient & fast, always intending to work out but rarely found the time. I’m still learning, I have a long way to go & continue to make changes, but feel confident that I’m on the right path. At the end of the day, I’m working to become a much healthier version of me & above all else, I’m able to find peace of mind in that.

Her treatment plan was long & intense lasting about a year & a half, including eight rounds of ABVD, 3 cycles of Ice, 3 cycles of Brentuximab vedotin & 5/6 rounds of BEAM followed by an autologous stem-cell transplant. It was hard having the life she’d worked so hard for taken from her so suddenly, just as it was beginning. She went from a busy life, keeping up with school & work to having to be home every day, going to constant doctor appointments. She says when she was first diagnosed, she didn’t know what to expect & didn’t know anyone who was going through the same thing.