tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708241870814479419.post4882787939209863831..comments2023-12-26T03:19:47.419-05:00Comments on Misadventures in Baby Raising: Pink Power Mom…Share Your Story and WIN!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136971835857942609noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708241870814479419.post-6098683706762542642010-06-26T23:13:10.534-04:002010-06-26T23:13:10.534-04:00In January of 2008, I, like many others in the Det...In January of 2008, I, like many others in the Detroit area, was laid off from my job. Along with the loss of my income, I also lost my health insurance. In March of 2008, I discovered a small pea-sized lump on the side of my left breast. I looked it up online and almost every site said that because of my young age (30 at the time) that it was most likely a benign tumor, that it is extremely rare for younger women to have malignant tumors. I pushed all thoughts of my lump aside and concentrated on moving forward with my life by pursuing a lifelong goal of getting a college education. I decided to major in nursing, which is a field that is in demand. <br />In October, while taking a break from studying, I turned on the television and quickly became engrossed in a movie marathon that featured young women with breast cancer. <br />The movies scared me. Over several months, the lump had grown in size. I told my mother my concerns the very next day.<br />She was insistent that I make a doctor appointment immediately, even offered to pay for it since I didn't have insurance. <br />I made the appointment and went in the following day for a mammogram and exam. <br />Much to my horror, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. <br />For more than a year, I battled this horrendous disease. I had chemotherapy (lost my hair and the chemo did not affect the tumor at all), several surgeries, radiation and I am currently doing hormone therapy and an experimental drug study. I still need to do reconstruction, but can't stand the thought of another surgery at this moment. <br />Having cancer has shown me how valuable life is. Now every second that I live is for my 9 year old daughter. While my prognosis is not very good (only a 20% chance to be alive in 10 years) I try to remain upbeat and hopeful. My priorities have completely changed. Each day I try to create a happy memory for her. <br />Together we have created our own bucket list. Every week we try to cross one item off of the list. Last week we made our own pottery and painted it too! It is my hope to one day be able to take my daughter on a cruise, although I am not sure how likely that is considering that I do not have health insurance and my medications alone drain my income for the month. <br /><br />Thanks for reading!Darcie K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08701025945402036496noreply@blogger.com