Cancer - any evil condition or thing that spreads destructively. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on February 13, 2006. It was my faith in God and determination that helped me overcome this life obstacle and prevent the destructive spread of cancer throughout my body.

The diagnosis came as a complete shock to me. I had too much to do to be dealing with such a debilitating disease. Once the shock wore off, I just wanted the doctors to remove the cancer from my body so I could go on with my everyday life of being a mom and supporting my family. I soon realized that it would get much worse before it got better; I had to keep the faith.

In many ways, the fight of cancer can be compared to running a race. A race against time, strength and endurance; my race went something like this:

Valentineís Day 2006 - The message I received yesterday told of the results of the biopsy I had a few days earlier. I was laying face down on a table at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute in Minneapolis having a MRI to determine the extent of my breast cancer. In just a few short hours I had experienced so many emotions; fear, anger, doubt, and anxiety. Within days, my emotions were calmed by my surgeonís optimism. My surgery was scheduled for the next week and it went well. It appeared as though I had gotten off to a fast start. End of lap one.

At the start of lap two, I had a setback. My surgeon determined that I needed to have more surgery as the margins around the tumor were not clear. A few days later I was back in the operating room, but I knew everything was going to come out OK if I continued to keep a steady pace. End of lap two.

A few weeks after my surgery, I saw my oncologist to learn the results of the pathology report and find out what my treatment entailed. My cancer was caught at an early stage; the tumor was small and had only begun to spread into my lymph nodes. This news was very encouraging for me to hear. What did not seem so encouraging was the doctors feared the cancer had gotten into my bloodstream. Chemotherapy was recommended, followed by radiation treatments. Fatigue started to set in during lap three, but I had one more lap to go.

I had a total of four chemotherapy treatments over the course of three months. With each treatment, my strength and endurance grew weaker but I knew I had to finish the race; I had to keep the faith. When I completed chemotherapy, I began radiation. Although going to the cancer center every day was tedious and I grew very tired of it, I could see the finish line and was not about to quit. Each day that goes by brings me closer to the end of my race. I continue to see the doctor for follow-up visits and thank God every day for all the blessings he has given me. This experience has taught me to live each day to the fullest as one never knows what tomorrow will bring.

When my time comes to go home, I know that my experience with cancer will have helped me to say "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." 2 Tim. 4:7

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