My journey began with the discovery of a growth in my right breast during a routine mammogram conducted as part of a company-wide health screening. Before this incident, I had actually been experiencing some mild breast pain, but I thought it could be due to my menstrual period and brushed it off. Following subsequent tests, I was confirmed to have stage 2 breast cancer.

After the diagnosis, I made certain lifestyle changes. Specifically, I decided to cut down entirely on alcohol intake and committed to adopting a healthier diet, ensuring that I ate well every day of the week.

I’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and so have yet to receive any form of treatment. However, I have finalized my treatment regimen. To go into the specifics, my doctor recommended surgery (mastectomy), chemotherapy, radiation therapy and targeted therapy. I chose to go forward with this treatment plan, based on my doctor’s suggestions and my own research into breast cancer. While I am steadfast in this decision, it does make me feel anxious and scared. On top of conventional treatment, I am taking nutritional supplements.

While treatment hasn’t commenced yet, I am resolved to make some permanent changes to my lifestyle, particularly in terms of my alcohol intake and nutrition and diet. I now prioritize eating a healthier diet every day and reducing my alcohol intake.

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer, I’ve found that my relationship with my parents has improved. We communicate over the phone more often and I visit their home more frequently. However, the diagnosis has been a shock for my family and myself, so we don’t have any immediate plans for the future.

My personal aspirations are to live a healthy life, and to be in long-term remission after completing treatment. This hope for a healthy life, free of cancer, serves as my motivation to persevere through my cancer journey. Similarly, my hope for my family and friends is for their health and well-being to stay good.

My greatest fear was the possibility of the cancer progressing due to ineffective medication. To address these concerns, I sought advice from friends and family who had experienced cancer, as well as researched online to learn from the experiences of other breast cancer patients regarding the efficacy of certain medications.

It hasn’t been that long since my cancer diagnosis, so my emotions of fear and disbelief remain. For now, I still feel frightened, nervous and worried.

As I am still just starting my cancer journey, I'm filled with apprehension about what lies ahead, particularly concerning the outcome of my upcoming surgery and next steps. Let's remain hopeful that everything unfolds positively for all of us.