My name is Nicole. I am 26 years old. In March of 2008, I felt a lump in my left breast. At the time, the doctor did not feel that it was anything to worry about due to my age. In August of 2008, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. When we went in for our first OB appointment, my doctor noticed the physical characteristics in my breast that I had also been seeing and feeling. She sent me to a specialist to have a biopsy done. In September 2008, that “specialist” did a breast exam and felt that a biopsy was not necessary due to my age and breast changes during pregnancy.

I continued to watch it and still felt concerned. The lump I was feeling kept getting bigger and bigger and eventually became painful. In January of 2009, I went in for another OB appointment and asked the doctor to request an ultra sound and to send me in for a second opinion. Finally, I had a biopsy of the area.

On January 20, 2009 I got the devastating phone call that no one ever wants to get. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was six months pregnant! After much thought and discussions with doctors and family members, we decided on a lumpectomy. I went in on January 28, 2009 for surgery. After my surgery, my pathology report concluded that my final diagnosis was stage 2B breast cancer. The report also found that my cancer was HER-2/neu positive and estrogen receptor positive and progesterone receptor positive.

At my post-op appointment in February of 2009 my oncologist decided that it was extremely important to begin chemotherapy that day. Because I was pregnant and my cancer was estrogen positive, she felt that it was dangerous and life threatening to not begin chemo right then; she did not want me to wait until the end of my pregnancy like we had originally planned. I started chemotherapy while I was six months pregnant. I remember the day that I started chemo, sitting in the chair and watching the red toxic liquid going through my IV. I was so scared! I told myself right then and there that I was going to suck it up, be strong, and get through this for my baby. She needed me to be strong for her. I felt her moving around and kicking when it started going in my veins. I thought to myself “she is so mad at me right now! That is why she is kicking me…wondering, what the heck are you doing to me out there mommy!”

I gave birth to our daughter Abigail Jean Davis on April 4, 2009. She was perfect in every way possible. She is such a strong baby and I can tell already that she is a fighter, just like her mommy. She keeps me fighting and keeps me holding on to everyday God grants me with her. I could not believe that God gave me such a perfect baby given all she went through before she was even born!

In August 2009, I began my 32 rounds of radiation. I continued my chemotherapy throughout the radiation. I finally finished my chemotherapy treatment on May 5th, 2010. The day I began my treatment and found out that I had a year and a half of treatment to do, I remember thinking, “This is never going to end.” I would watch week after week the people that were finishing their treatment and just think how exciting that day would be when I reached the end.

Now that yesterday was my last one, I find my self a little nervous. I am so excited to move forward and into the new stage of my life. But I am also scared. I will not have the comfort of being checked every few weeks. I will continue, just like I have through this whole process, to be strong, listen to my body, and take care of myself. I will be proactive and live to see my daughter graduate college and get married and have a baby of her own. I WILL grow old with my husband and travel the world with him when Abbey is grown and has a family of her own.

Being a mother is more than I ever imagined it would be. I live everyday for my family and for my daughter. I swore to Abbey the day she was born that I would always love her no matter what and that I would always be there for her. She would always feel safe and secure and would grow up with nothing but loving memories of her mommy and daddy. She would have space to run and grow and become the women I know she will be someday.

I want so many things for my little girl. I will teach her to ALWAYS listen to her heart. I want her to never settle and to stand up and do the right thing, even if it is not the “cool” thing.

When Abbey is 30, I hope and pray that “cancer” will be a memory and that Abbey will have stories to tell her daughters about their grandma having breast cancer and beating it. I pray that the world will be a place where kids can grow up being “kids” and not have to be scared. I pray that we will all be healthy and live to be 90.

I am not sure why I got cancer and what exactly I am supposed to learn from this. As weird as this may sound, cancer is one of the best things that ever happened to me. It helped me realize what it means to LIVE and LOVE. I love deeper than I ever had in my life and I try to look at everyday as a second chance that God has given me and to make the most of each and every day and to let the people I love and care about the most how much they mean to me. I am inspired to spread awareness to young women and all people to know their bodies and to get checked regularly.

I WILL be a part to putting an end to breast cancer. Cancer does not have to define who you are as a person. It helps make up who you are, but your heart defines you