My Story Isn't Over

By Amber Treadwell

Sixteen young survivors tell their remarkable stories of breast cancer diagnosis and survival--all before the age of 40. Featured stories by authors Amber Treadwell, Asheley Goergen, Caitlin Adkins, Connie Sun, Elizabeth Jones, Emily Dickey, Erin Baldwin, Jennifer Hart, Jennifer Wilson, Jessica Freiburger, Laura Currens, Nicole Gibson, Porscha Nikkole, Shon Dansby, Soleil Luke, and Stephanie Reed.

All proceeds from this book with be donated to the Pink Ribbon Girls in Tipp City, Ohio.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amber Treadwell
• Release date: Jul 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005740986

Book preview

Amber Treadwell

A warrior, a fighter, and a survivor.

Iam 1 out of 8 women that will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, but I am more than a statistic. I am a woman, like the many sharing their stories in this book, who was diagnosed with breast cancer—and I’m fighting back. Cancer chose me, but I choose how I fight. 

A few months shy of my 31st birthday, I found a lump in my right breast. I found this lump by performing a self-breast exam. I have always been observant of my body, and if something didn’t feel right, I’d follow up with my physician. After finding the lump, I had no worries; I knew that my annual exam was coming up in a few months, and I’d have the doctor check it out then. 

My appointment was at the end of January, and I can’t even remember how many months I’d let pass before that day; it was at least 3-6 months. In my mind, it was just a cyst, so there was no reason to rush. I went to my annual gynecological exam, and I asked my physician to evaluate the lump in my breast. At this time, I was only 30 years old, with no family history of cancer. He said, I want you to evaluate it and see if it waxes and wanes. The plan was to monitor the growth and see if it would change with my cycles. Initially, I said, okay, because he is a medical professional, and they always know best, right? I don’t fault him for this advice, because he was using his medical experience. I was in my thirties with no family history of breast cancer, and I had been negative for the BRCA genetic testing. Everything medically, in my opinion, pointed to nothing.

However, the next day, after talking with a few of my female confidantes, the feeling in the pit of my stomach had convinced me: I needed a mammogram. I didn’t want to wait and worry, especially if it was something serious. I wanted to know now, instead of worrying about nothing for six months. So the next day, I called my physician and asked if he would send me for a mammogram, and he agreed. A week or so later, I went in for an ultrasound and mammogram at the local breast cancer center. After the technician finished the scans, she said, I will take these pictures to the doctor to review, and he will be in to talk to you. 

I am a nurse, and the word I focused on was, he. He will be in to talk to you. I knew something was wrong, because why would he need to come back to share negative results?  I remember the worried look on his face when the doctor walked into the room. He hadn’t opened up his mouth, but his expression had already told me everything I needed to know. The doctor sat down to go over my results, and he said, there is something ugly there that we need to take a further look at. He asked if I was okay and if my husband was with me. He never said, ‘you have cancer, but with every word he spoke, I knew in my heart... this wasn’t good. 

From that point, my life changed. The days sped up, chalked full of more appointments than I could manage. 

The next step was obtaining a biopsy and a titanium seed placement. These are not comfortable experiences, but it is a necessary step, at least it was for me. Following the biopsy, you wait, wait, and wait. Two days after the biopsy, I celebrated my birthday! On that day, I received the call that would begin this journey for me. 

My original ordering physician called with the test results. I honestly thought I would learn it was a cyst or a