Jennifer, Breast Cancer
Jennifer was diagnosed at 39 with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Jennifer is a wife to Chris and a mommy to 2 beautiful daughters, Grace and Phoebe, ages 10 and 4. She underwent 4 months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and will have adjunctive therapy for the next 5 years. “I was diagnosed on November 15, 2010 with no family history. They say you become a survivor the day you are diagnosed. I didn’t feel like a survivor but, I was determined to be one.”
Unfortunately cancer was something all to familiar to my family; my husband, Chris, battled and beat Hodgkins Lymphoma about nine years ago. You would hope that once your family has been rocked by such a terrible disease that somehow it insures a free pass for the future.
In March of 2010, we had finally finished paying off Chris’ medical bills. I was excited to start a new venture with a baking business in October and then the bottom fell out a month later.
This experience has taught me that there are no guarantees in this life. This experience has also taught me to appreciate what a wonderful support system I have, to never miss the opportunity to tell someone that I love them, and to cherish every single second with my children and husband. I have kept my friends and family up to date with my journey through a blog. http://jennifermiceli.wordpress.com/ It has not only been informative but it has also been quite cathartic for me.
I was invited to attend the Beauty Ball 2011 while still going through treatment. They wanted to help me but, I didn’t think I needed help. I thought getting help would mean that I was weak and unable to do it all. I was wrong. The Beauty Foundation was a constant source of encouragement. It is so nice to know that there ARE people out there that want to help