Diagnosed on September 27, 2007 at the young age of 34, I thought life, as I knew it, would be over forever. Little did I know, I was absolutely correct, but in the end all would work out for the better and life would be better than I ever thought possible! Yes, there is hope…there is true LIFE after Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
I had gone to a breast oncologist in December 2006 with slight pink area under my left breast and slight swelling, only to be told and I quote “there is NO WAY that is IBC. If it was IBC, your breast would be as red as that {pointing at the fire alarm pull switch on the wall}”. I left that office thinking I was in the clear. After all, he WAS a breast oncologist!
Well, he was a breast oncologist all right; but he was also very WRONG! I then endured 9 months of wondering but thinking eh, it’s ok! An oncologist had cleared me! August 2007, I set up my yearly OB-GYN exam. He took one look and sent me straight to a breast radiologist for testing. They found micro-calcification clusters on my mammogram and biopsied them, assuring me that if I did indeed have cancer, it would be the easiest kind to cure. The “blush” spot was still there, but the doctor wasn’t worried. We were all shocked to find out I had TWO kinds of cancer, one being stage IIIB IBC. I was given a 20-30% chance to live 5 years.
My husband and I ended up divorcing shortly after I finished treatment. I endured years of complications, heartaches, and wondering how I would ever survive it all with 4 kids in tow.
Fast-forward 5 years, YES I said FIVE YEARS, and I am recently remarried to my very best friend Ken.
Ken & Holly, wedding day. December 2012
We are about to move into our brand new home, and I am about to finish college with my BS in Psychology. I plan on getting my MA in Forensic Psychology, specializing in families that have been impacted by sexual offenses.
Life is better than I ever thought possible. There is HOPE, hang on to your FAITH!