Living Life After the Big C

In May 2019, I found a lump in my right breast. I had missed two years of mammograms. I called my friend at my gynecologist office and she rushed me right in. That was the beginning of a 7 month battle I will never forget. I was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer with 3 nodes involved. I was 49 years old. The growth rate was 87% and since it was so high, the cancer needed to be removed immediately before treatment. I opted for a double mastectomy with no reconstruction. Triple negative breast cancer is treated with old school chemo drugs unaffectionately known as The Red Devil. Eight chemo treatments and 27 radiation treatments later I was considered NED-no evidence of disease.

I decided to share my journey on social media in hopes that others that had put off mammograms would understand just how important they are. My social media posts became therapy for me and it also created cheerleaders and prayer warriors, which is something we all need in the fight against cancer.

I also decided to bare my bald head. Many thought this was a symbol of a fierce fighter, however it was really because the chemo put me into menopause and it was 100 degrees outside and I couldn’t stand anything on my head. I wasn’t worried about the hair. I was worried about living. I wasn’t ready to go and I wasn’t going to give up.

Triple negative breast cancer has a high reoccurrence rate and the odds are much better than they use to be but they still aren’t the best. I have permanent residual effects from the chemo which include neuropathy, lymphedema and the inability to remember anything of any importance.  And of course, every time a new ailment pops up, my mind immediately goes to a dark place.

I consider myself to be lucky and I know that may sound strange. I have been given a gift, the gift of living another day. When I was first diagnosed I kept a list of things I was thankful for. I found I had taken so many things for granted in my day to day life. Going thru this journey has been a blessing for me, it has reminded me of what is important- my family, my friends and it has also reminded me to stop trying to rush through life and just get through the day. I am much wiser with time spent and I am much wiser as to what I use my energy on.  

My family support has been my rock. My husband who is a true, loving partner in every sense of the word, my daughter who stood bravely at my side, my boys who are always there for me and my mom, who went to every treatment with me.

There are certain big milestones in this journey, the first one is just getting through the treatments, the second one is coming up on Saturday, May 21, 2022- it is my 3 year cancerversary, and it is also the date of the Bradley County Relay for Life. At the three year mark there is a significant reduction in the risk the cancer will return. This is something I have been looking forward to for a long time.

I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe as we get older we discover things are never random. God puts people in the right places and at just the right time. At every turn, I found God had put people in my life to help me with this journey.

Last year, I developed a website: www.christygoza.com. With healthcare privacy laws, it is difficult for medical professionals to pass your name along to someone and with this type of cancer it is difficult to find survivors for information. This website has no affiliated or sponsored links. It is just an account of my journey, for other survivors to read and share. I have had an excellent response to the site and will continue to update it as long as there are people out there looking for information.

I have made so many friends on my journey and my journey isn’t over. I’m a member of the club now, a club I never thought I would never be a part of, at least this soon in life. I’m an advocate of mammograms/screening. I’m an advocate of living.