Hi, I’m Cheryl and I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer.

Despite the fears that I may not be able to fully recover, I’ve completed treatment and no longer need any medication.

I didn’t have any symptoms that made me suspect that I had cancer. It was a completely unintended discovery when I went for a mammogram. They checked the mammogram and informed me that they needed further investigation. I was then referred to a breast clinic.

After investigation, they told me that I had stage 1 breast cancer.

The only part of my lifestyle that changed is my exercise frequency. I exercised slightly more after I received my diagnosis.

For my case, my doctor recommended surgery to treat the cancer. Eventually, I underwent surgery and chemotherapy as well.

I felt mostly positive about the decisions about my treatment. I was somewhat happy, relieved, motivated and hopeful.

Today, I’m completely done with treatment. I’m no longer taking any medication.

I struggled with diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite during my cancer treatment. I just took prescribed medication to manage them.

I didn’t change my lifestyle much more during treatment than the increased exercise frequency.

My biggest fear was thinking that I may not be able to recover fully. Thinking positively helped me to cope with this fear.

I do feel a little bit more optimistic than before. I’m more confident, inspired and thankful.

However, I still feel powerless and perplexed. That hasn’t changed much.

Go for breast screening/mammogram as per your healthcare system's guidelines. Breast cancer is not a death sentence and it's highly treatable.