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Your Body Sends You Signals. Learn to Listen.

Surviving Breast Cancer

18 hours ago

3 min read

By Rosana Fernández COMMUNITY | BREAST CANCER STORIES

I’m 57 years old and I live in St. Augustine, Florida. And I feel blessed with every day of life I’ve been given.

I live with psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, asthma, migraines, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, kidney disease, and a neurogenic bladder. For more than 20 years, I lived with gastroparesis. That chapter came to an end on November 4, 2025, when I underwent a total gastrectomy and had my stomach removed.

I have also received three breast cancer diagnoses. The most recent one came in March 2026. And even with everything I’ve faced, I still feel that, overall, my health is blessed. I’ve lost count of how many surgeries I’ve had, but it’s well over twenty. Every scar is a reminder of a battle I’ve fought—and won. They remind me that my purpose in life is not yet complete.

Hearing the words “You have cancer” is something no one should ever experience.

The first time, it was overwhelming, especially since I was young and death felt far away. The second time, I was shocked again, but I remembered that I had already beaten it once. That memory gave me the strength to keep going.

But hearing it a third time… A third diagnosis is different.

There was fear.

There was anger.

And when I was already living with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, another battle began inside my mind. One part of me fought to believe I would overcome it again, while another whispered that this time I wouldn’t.

On May 13, 2026, I underwent a bilateral radical mastectomy. In a matter of hours, I went from wearing a size 38C bra to waking up completely flat. Seeing my body after surgery was heartbreaking. I cried like a little girl. But through those tears, I kept telling myself: “This was the best decision of my life.”

My first two breast cancers were diagnosed as carcinoma in situ. I truly believe they were found early because I was consistent about my breast health and regular screenings. This third diagnosis developed in less than a year between mammograms. It was invasive lobular carcinoma, HER2-positive, fortunately detected at an early stage (stage 1A). Because it was found early and I underwent a bilateral radical mastectomy with lymph node removal, I did not need chemotherapy or radiation.

On Wednesday, July 22, my oncologist wasn’t able to give me the medical discharge I had been hoping for. Instead, I began the next phase of my treatment: five years of hormone therapy. One pill every day. The goal is to reduce the chance that the cancer returns somewhere else in my body by lowering estrogen, a hormone that can fuel the growth of certain breast cancers.

The day I took my first pill, a new countdown began.

1,825 days.

60 months.

Five years.

And I want to use every one of those days to help other women going through similar experiences.

Since my very first diagnosis, I have shared the same message: Perform breast self-awareness. See your breast specialist. Have your mammograms when your doctor recommends them. If you’re not yet old enough for mammograms, ask your doctor whether breast ultrasound is appropriate. Every step matters. Listen to your body. It is one of God’s most incredible creations. Your body sends you signals. Learn to listen.

Months before my most recent diagnosis, my body was trying to tell me something. I felt an intense itch deep inside my breast, behind my nipple. It wouldn’t go away. That was the cancer speaking.

If your body tells you something isn’t right, don’t ignore it. Seek medical attention. Hopefully, it will turn out to be nothing serious. But if it is cancer, finding it early can make all the difference.