On July 30, 2018, at 42 years old, I heard the words that no one ever expects to hear — “We found cancer.” Words that instantly change the trajectory of your life. What started as Stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) quickly escalated. After a very long month of tests and scans, it went from Stage II to Stage III HER2+, and then to Stage IV (De Novo) with extensive liver mets. The plan shifted from a lumpectomy and radiation, to a mastectomy and chemo, to surgery coming off the table because it was too risky. Instead, six months of chemo and ongoing immunotherapy became my only viable option. Between then and now (Nov/25), I’ve also had a double mastectomy with aesthetic flat closure, an oophorectomy (ovary and fallopian tube removal), a lumpectomy, and the following laundry list: 18 rounds of chemo, ​125+ Herceptin & Perjeta (immunotherapy) infusions, 31 Zoladex injections, ​2​460+ days of Tamoxifen, 2​9+ CT scans, 2​4+ Muga scans, ​10+ MRIs, ​1​4+ ultrasounds, ​4 mammograms, ​3 core biopsies,​ genetic testing (twice), and countless blood draws and ​medical appointments. And while finding out you have cancer — and, for many of us, that we’ll have it for the rest of our lives — is a mind-fk beyond all mind-fks, you can’t change what’s already happened. But there is so much that you can do to shape what happens next. Educating and advocating for yourself is key. So is (in my personal experience) eating clean and green, staying active, and learning to listen to both your body and your gut. Of course I have my bad days. And I definitely don’t always practice what I preach. But I’m incredibly fortunate to have responded well to treatment, and to be able to continue living a relatively normal life — chronic fatigue, brain fog, endless appointments, and the whole “incurable disease” thing aside. And that’s what the Cancer’s A Bitch blog and Instagram page chronicle: the good, the bad, and the ugly. My approaches — both traditional and holistic. The natural remedies that I've found to help counteract some of the side effects of the drugs and treatments I’m on (and will be on for life). My plant-heavy diet. And a handful of other bits and bobs.