And on July 30, 2018, at 42 years old, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. They're words you never expect to hear spoken to you directly ... "we found cancer". Words that completely change the trajectory of your life. Initially it was stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). But after a very long month of tests and scans, it went from that, to stage III and then to stage IV HER2+. From a lumpectomy & radiation, to a mastectomy & chemo, to surgery coming off the table (too risky at the time) and 6 months of chemo & ongoing immunotherapy becoming the only option. Between then and now (Feb/24) I've also had a double mastectomy with aesthetic flat closure, an oophorectomy (ovary & fallopian tube removal), and the following laundry list .... 94+ Herceptin & Perjeta (immunotherapy) infusions, 31 Zoladex injections, 1789+ days of Tamoxifen, 24+ CT scans, 21+ Muga scans, 8+ MRIs, 9+ ultrasounds, 3 mammograms, 2 core biopsies, and countless blood draws and dr / clinic appointments. And while finding out that you have cancer (and for many of us, will for the rest of our lives) is the worlds biggest gut punch, you can't change what's already happened. But there's so much that you can do to change what happens next. Educating and advocating for yourself is key! As is (in my personal opinion) eating clean & green, being active, and learning to listen to your body AND your gut. Of course I have my bad days. And I don't always practice what I've preached in my previous statement. However, I am one of the very fortunate ones who has responded well to treatment, and who (aside from the chronic fatigue, brain fog and seemingly endless medical appointments) has continued living a relatively normal life – aside from the whole "I have an incurable desease" thing. And that's what the Cancer's A Bitch Blog and Insta Page chronicle. The good, the bad and the ugly. As well as my approaches – both traditional and holistic. The natural remedies that I have found to help counteract some of the side effects from all the different drugs and treatments that I am on (and will be for the rest of my life). My *mostly* plant-based diet. And a few other bits and bobs.