Kelly

Kelly
Diagnosed at 37, 3-year survivor
Y-ME Peer Counselor

"Being open about my cancer has helped my whole family reduce the fear."

Kelly was only 37 years old when she started feeling pain in her right breast whenever she picked up her baby son. Despite the fact that her mother was a breast cancer survivor, Kelly wasn't overly concerned. She was young, a busy mother of two, with a demanding, high-stress job. Plus, she was planning a vacation.

Following a mammogram and core biopsy, she and her family left for that vacation. Despite the suspicious mammogram, she still wasn't too worried. Then she took a call from the doctor in the big marble bathroom of the resort hotel where they were staying. The noise made it difficult to hear, but she heard what she needed to. Kelly had breast cancer.

"I walked out and I didn't say anything. I just looked into my husband's eyes, and my life changed in that moment."

Kelly had a double mastectomy, reconstruction, and chemotherapy. She quit the high-stress job to concentrate on her treatment and take care of her children, who were one and seven at the time of her diagnosis. Her worst moment came right after her third surgery, when her son woke up one morning crying. Kelly's husband had left early for work - and she couldn't lift her baby out of the crib. Her frustration quickly snowballed into a rush of fear that she wouldn't be there to see her infant son go to kindergarten.

Kelly called Y-ME and was matched to a peer counselor who, like her, was under 40 and had small children. It made all the difference for her - and opened another door. After she finished her chemotherapy, she was "itching to get back into things." She took an entry-level job as the coordinator of the Y-ME Race in her hometown, and since then has gone on to hold several key positions in the Y-ME organization - in addition to becoming a peer counselor.

Her diagnosis was three years ago. She is doing well. She and her whole family have adjusted to what Kelly calls "the new normal of life after breast cancer." Kelly chose to be open with her children and bring her cancer into their lives.

"I know this going to sound strange," she says, "but we actually decided to have some family fun with my cancer and its treatment. We are the kind of family that celebrates every holiday. We even have green mashed potatoes on St. Patrick's Day. My son was too young, but I got my daughter involved in 'taking care of mommy' by making little treats for me when I had chemo. It made her feel special and gave her a sense of control."

Kelly's family also had a wig party on Halloween for her daughter and friends while she was receiving chemotherapy and just about to lose her hair. Her daughter became the leading child fundraiser for the Y-ME Race in their hometown, encouraging her schoolmates and teachers to donate, and adding little bags of homemade cookies as an incentive.

"We made a lot of cookies that year," Kelly says. "I was overwhelmed by the support we got. I think that for me, and our family, being open and active about my cancer has helped all of us reduce our fear, and I know that we all have a much stronger sense of purpose about our lives.

“Every person I speak to on the Y-ME Hotline is different, but no matter where they are in the process, I want to help them understand what is happening and give them the kind of support and hope that I got when I needed it."