Breast Cancer Awareness Month: More than pink ribbons - Every story is unique, every journey matters.

Terrenna is my great-neice. She is my 4th oldest sister's granddaughter. She is tall, beautiful, and oh...so sweet. She has four amazing daughters and one baby boy (Sir Eli).

Terrenna's Story

At age 38 Terrenna went to a doctor’s appointment to confirm she was pregnant with baby #5. While there she inquired about a lump she noticed on her breast near her underarm. After examining her breast the doctor ordered an ultrasound because she couldn’t have a mammogram due to being pregnant. Following the ultrasound and biopsy, she received a phone call she would never forget.

You have stage III triple-negative breast cancer that is aggressive and growing fast. She was devastated.

Terrenna went from being angry, to briefly struggling with her faith, to grasping for strength for her (soon to be five) children. She wasn't surprised that she was positive for the BRCA gene because her grandmother and cousin also had breast cancer.

When she told her girls, they were devastated as well, screaming and crying. “We can cry today….” she told them, “But tomorrow, we fight!”

Being pregnant made the process extremely difficult. During her first oncology appointment, the team of doctors agreed that she should terminate the pregnancy. That was the day she stood up for herself and her baby. “I will be my own advocate” she said adamantly. She was able to find a doctor who was in her corner and comfortable with going through this process of her keeping her baby and starting cancer treatments.

After identifying a medical team that believed in her and what she wanted to do, Terrenna was even more motivated to have a successful pregnancy and beat breast cancer. A happy and healthy baby boy (Sir Eli) was born seven months later.

Then, it was time to begin the aggressive cancer fight which included a double-mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and reconstructive surgeries. At age 40, she was cancer free and she continues to thrive!

Her advice to young women going through this tough journey with children is to be honest with them and educate them. Bring them along on the journey with you and let them know you’re going to be ok. Once they're good, you'll be good too. She encouraged herself by saying, "Just because I have breast cancer, I don’t have to be breast cancer.