My advice to anyone battling cancer now is to live one day at a time. And when one day at a time feels like a lot, then one hour at a time. Time marches forward and you have to move with it.
I never really thought about NOT getting reconstruction until about a year into my breast cancer journey when I started to wonder why I’d decided that was necessary. I did like that it would make me look more "normal" so it would be my choice if I want to talk about my battle with cancer or not. Whereas if I didn't have breasts, people might ask me about it.
I went in every Friday morning for treatment. They would do a blood draw and weigh me (this helped me decide I can't care about my weight so much, I just need to focus on staying alive), run labs, and check if I was okay for treatment that day.
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting Kirstin’s story as a poignant reminder of the significance of self-care (and self-advocation) for breast health. Here is part 1 of Kirstin’s story.