By Susan, diagnosed at age 33   May 30, 2015 was one of the best days of my life! My boyfriend, Rich, and I got engaged on a beautiful day at a winery on Long Island. He and I quickly picked a date and a venue and planning was underway. I went wedding dress shopping and found the most beautiful strapless mermaid gown. I spent countless evenings looking up hair styles, theme ideas, bridesmaid dresses and other details I’ve been…

By Suzette Rodriguez   On November 24, 2015, I was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer at the age of 39. I received my diagnosis while at the hospital in isolation with my 4-year-old son Jaden, who has an autoimmune disease. I have been battling illness much of my life. When I was 13, I was diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Breast cancer was an incidental finding. I was having neck pain so the doctor sent me for a…

I had the pleasure of attending a 5 Under 40 event hosted by Kline Dermatology where Dr. Mitchell Kline and Dr. Amanda Doyle spoke about the effects of chemotherapy on the body. While I was initially interested in learning about the changes in hair, skin and nails after chemotherapy, the conversation shifted to the correlation between melanoma and breast cancer. I was shocked to find out about a recent study which found that women who have had breast cancer are…

I was lucky enough to have my incredibly loving and supportive husband and mother-in-law by my side during my fight. The role of caretakers in your well-being is essential and worth addressing. We expect our caretakers to be pillars of strength, our rocks to provide emotional and physical support. We, as the cancer patients, are physically fighting for our lives, but our caretakers face a silent struggle that can be just as emotionally draining. It is important to recognize that…

Hi Everyone! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I’d share with you all the essay that I wrote which I sent into my Vogue casting call. Here you go 🙂 As a twenty-six-year-old breast cancer patient, I was told that on Day 17 of treatment, my hair would fall out. So on Day 15, I was swept into a private room at a salon to have my beautiful, long, buttery blonde hair cut into an Audrey Hepburn-…