Tashica, United States

In the middle of our IVF journey, a time already filled with hope, fear, and so many emotions, I was blindsided by an abnormal mammogram that led to a bilateral breast cancer diagnosis. Everything shifted in an instant. Instead of preparing for the possibility of new life, I found myself preparing for surgery. It was the height of COVID, when hospitals were closed to loved ones and the world felt distant and uncertain. I walked into the operating room physically alone, but I carried with me the steady, grounding love of my husband and the unwavering strength of the people who surrounded us from afar.

There were days I felt terrified and days I felt brave, sometimes both at once. What carried me through wasn’t just treatment—it was the reminder, again and again, that I wasn’t facing any of it in isolation. My husband stood with me through every step, and our support network held us up in ways big and small. Their compassion became a lifeline, a reminder that even in the darkest moments, connection and care can be powerful sources of light.

If you’re navigating something hard, please hear this: you matter deeply, and you are not alone.