October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month 🍂

 It wasn't until May 2015 that I had it checked, on May 19, I had a biopsy and just two days later I received the news that changed my life: breast cancer, on June 8, 2015  I had a lumpectomy, followed by eight weeks of radiation treatments, five days a week. 

By the grace of God, I did not need chemotherapy. I also took tamoxifen for six years, at the time I had a high schooler, a middle schooler, and a toddler at home. Life didn't stop just because I was facing cancer, and there was a lot to navigate along the way.

Today, I'm still here, and I'm grateful for that. One of the hardest parts of my journey wasn't just going through treatment; it was living with the fear of cancer returning. Eventually I had to reach a place where I stopped allowing that fear to consume me. 

My experience taught me that while everyone's journey is different, no one should feel they have to downplay what they're going through. It's your life, and what you're facing matters. 

And being a survivor, does not erase the cancer that once existed, but it's definitely your testimony that started with a diagnosis, then a prognosis, and healing from the physical part of the journey. Sometimes the mental part of the whole experience is the hardest.

I'm sharing my story as my personal testimony of faith, strength, and healing, a reminder to women and men to pay attention to their bodies and make time for regular breast self-exams. Early detection made a difference in my life, and I encourage everyone to be proactive about her breast health. This disease has no gender. ✨ ~Tica MoniQue ~