My Story: Metastatic Breast Cancer

Dee, a Metastatic Breast Cancer patient, has transformed her diagnosis into a calling in order to help others with the disease.

Transcript

00:00

I couldn't understand why a 39-year-old would get breast cancer. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:07

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is always my opportunity to educate people on breast cancer,

00:14

especially stage four breast cancer, which so many people don't understand. And stage four breast cancer is the breast cancer that kills.

00:23

When I was 39 years old, I found a lump in my breast. And all of a sudden, it just started hurting.

00:32

After a mammogram, I found out that I had breast cancer. It wasn't until a PET scan was done

00:41

that I realized that I had something called metastatic breast cancer, otherwise known as stage four breast cancer.

00:47

Stage four breast cancer is when breast cancer has spread into other parts of your body. And I found out that I had metastatic breast

00:54

cancer in my spine. Metastatic breast cancer is so underfunded.

01:01

We just don't have enough research out there. I have really, really dedicated my time to fundraising for research.

01:10

It's something that I'm really passionate about because I think if we had more medications out there, we can save so many people.

01:19

If we have better medications in the future, my hope is that we can turn metastatic breast cancer

01:26

into a chronic as opposed to terminal illness. I live life a lot differently today than I did before.

01:35

Before, I used to stress a lot of things. I would stress the small stuff. Then today, I can't even imagine stressing anything

01:46

because there's so much more to life. When you don't know if you're going to be alive next year, you just start looking at things in a very, very, very

01:54

different light. Now I spend more time making memories and leaving a good legacy.

02:02

I've seen so many women let this take over their lives, take over their happiness, take over their every day. I always tell people, don't die before you die.

02:13

Making the most of the time you have left is one of the most important things you can do today.