To Vote for Ally Debbs by emailing Erin@imagesbykay.com All you have to do to vote is put Ally Debbs  in the subject line and click send!

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2011…..its been a year now.    I woke up one morning with my husband to see him off to work……and I was sitting down with my arms crossed still trying to wake up when I felt a lump on top of my breast.    I freaked.   I couldn’t believe how large it was.   I told my husband to feel it to see what he thought and immediately he was shocked as well.   both of us began asking each other questions as to where it came from…..what is it…..why didn’t either of us feel it prior to this.   I went to the doctor that day……and the look on his face when he felt it was a dead give away.   I knew at that time it wasn’t good and of course I was scared.    It didn’t help when I went for the mammogram that the technician was soooo excited to get a picture of that “huge lump” on her screen!     Well after the mammogram I was sent for an ultrasound because they didn’t see it…..(sucked being the technician! That’s what she gets for making me feel awful!  Lol!)   and they weren’t sure they could see it there either so I went for an MRI.   DING! DING! DING!  That did it!   I was referred to a breast surgeon who ordered a biopsy.    The biopsy confirmed it.   I remember knowing in my heart that I had it.   I remember feeling God was telling me that I did for sure…..but that I wasn’t going to die from it.   I tried to be strong for my family when the dr. shared the news with me and my husband.   I think it was harder on me to tell my family then actually hearing the news myself.   I was referred to my oncologist and he started me on chemo the following Thursday.    I went through 6 rounds of chemo, followed by a full mastectomy (they had found a completely different cancer in my other breast along the way) and then 33 rounds of radiation……….and here I am today.   I recently received the results of my last PET scan and it came back clean.   PRAISE GOD!   Now on to reconstruction!

The above was all the drama part of having breast cancer.   What I want you to know and remember is all the wonderful things that happened to me during all of it.   I went in to this a very insecure person.   I have been beat up mentally and emotionally in my life and it made me feel less than beautiful…..inside and out.    The hero’s I met through this entire process gave me back my dignity, my self-worth and a love for myself.   I told God in the beginning that I would give Him all the glory no matter what thru all of this.   And I feel I did that.   But what He gave me was far more impressive.   The people you meet and the doctors and the true friends you depend on are absolutely amazing!   I was shocked by the people in my life I thought I SHOULD be able to count on that were not there……..as well as the people I didn’t expect to be there at all who WERE THERE for me and my family every step of the way.   I listened to all of them tell me how amazing I was.  How much they loved me.   How important I was to all of them.   It gave me a renewed heart.   They lifted me up and gave me confidence.   I didn’t know they had felt that way.  I didn’t realize how I had made a difference in their lives at different points.   After I realized all that…..i believed in myself more too.

Today I give myself the same love they all gave to me.  I don’t know how my journey will continue……but I know I will believe in myself more….i will not let myself down and I will continue to give all this freely and lovingly to everyone else I meet too.   Knowing you have people who love you in your life is amazing…..but really knowing how much they love you and what they would do for you……is a true healer.

Thank you for hearing my story…….now get out there and share the love!    J

Ally Debbs

To Vote for Ally Debbs by emailing Erin@imagesbykay.com All you have to do to vote is put Ally Debbs  in the subject line and click send!