June is National Cancer Survivors Month, a time to honor the more than 18 million Americans living after a cancer diagnosis. I am one of them. But I am also so much more than a statistic. I am a mother, a wife, an advocate, and a survivor who has endured not just one diagnosis but many.
My story includes genetic mutations, emergency surgeries, difficult recoveries, and the silent pain of trying to hold everything together while my body continued to demand more of me. I’m sharing this now not just to raise awareness, but because someone else might be feeling like everything is piling on at once. You are not alone.
When One Diagnosis Becomes a Web
Back in 2020, I sought answers for unusually heavy menstrual cycles. That search led to genetic testing, which revealed two significant gene mutations: BRCA2 and PMS2. These results placed me in a high-risk category for developing several types of cancer. The PMS2 mutation meant I had Lynch Syndrome, a condition that raises the lifetime risk for colon, uterine, pancreatic, stomach, and gallbladder cancers.
Because I had this knowledge, I began preventative care. I underwent a hysterectomy. I scheduled early screenings. I tried to stay one step ahead. But despite my best efforts, in October 2023, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).
Then Came H. Pylori. And Then Came the Pain
After being declared cancer free in 2024, in 2025, I was diagnosed with H. Pylori, a bacterial infection that affects the stomach lining. I started antibiotics right away, but not long after, I felt sharp pain in my upper abdomen. Doctors suspected the medication was irritating my stomach.
Even after I finished the treatment, the pain persisted. I knew something wasn’t right. After an ER visit and more testing, I was told I had a gallstone blockage and needed emergency gallbladder removal surgery. I was stunned. It felt like one more thing in a year already overflowing with challenges.
The Weight of What Stacks on Top
When you live with multiple gene mutations like BRCA2 and PMS2, which is also tied to Lynch Syndrome, every part of your body feels like it needs watching. Add a cancer diagnosis, multiple surgeries, infections, and unexpected complications, and the mental and physical toll becomes intense.
Survivorship is not the end of hardship. It often means learning how to manage what comes next while still healing from what came before. For me, this journey includes fatigue, surgical scars, mental health concerns, surgical menopause, health anxiety, and the challenge of returning to what I hoped would be a new normal.
Each new diagnosis chips away at that idea of normal. But even as things pile up, I try to remain grounded in truth, gratitude, and advocacy.
Survivorship Is a Lifelong Journey
According to the National Cancer Institute, survivorship begins at diagnosis and continues throughout a person’s life. For people living with hereditary cancer syndromes, that means ongoing screenings, preventive surgeries, and the need for mental health care.
Survivorship for me means staying on top of bile duct imaging. It means updating my doctors regularly with genetic information. It means being vocal when something feels off, even if it seems unrelated. It means advocating for myself and for others.
This Is What Survivorship Looks Like
If You Are Carrying a Lot, You Are Not Alone
I wrote this because I am still processing it all. I am still recovering. I am still finding space for joy, even while navigating grief and exhaustion.
This isn’t just my story. It’s the story of so many others whose health conditions overlap, whose pain is misunderstood, and whose resilience goes unseen. If you are living with stacked conditions, if your path keeps getting heavier, please hear me when I say – your fight is valid. Your fatigue is real. And your healing matters.
If this touched you, please share or tag someone you care about. Let’s raise our voices, together.
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