My name is Rebecca, and I run Candidly Cancer.

After finding a lump in my left breast in December 2020 and some pushing from my boyfriend and my mom, I scheduled myself for an appointment at my home clinic a few weeks later.

After a follow-up appointment in February and two ultrasounds, one mammogram, and one biopsy in early March, I was diagnosed with Stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma on March 11th, 2021.

I have no family history of breast cancer on either side of my family, and only one case of cancer at all – lung – in my elderly grandmother who was a lifelong smoker, so finding out I’ve been diagnosed with such an illness without any rhyme or reason was beyond my own understanding.

I did genetic testing and it came back negative (good thing, it means that indeed there’s no familial/genetic tie to the cancer at all). But knowing that it isn’t genetic leaves me with more questions.

Why me? Why now? Why did I deserve this?

But I don’t deserve it, and neither do you. And there was nothing I could have done differently to prevent this from happening.

I don’t know why this happened, but I am extremely fortunate to have found it early (Stage 2 is still considered an early stage). I began treatment in late March of 2021 and finished in April of 2022. I was declared no evidence of disease (NED) as of September 2021 when I finished chemo and surgery. For a full timeline, you can read what my treatment journey looked like.

Outside of living through cancer, I’m a professional editor for a tech company and a remote freelance editor with a few tech brands.

In my free time, I love going on road trips and listening to country music with my boyfriend, cuddling with my cat, watching 90 Day Fiancé with my mom, shooting back tequila with my dad, and cheering on the Chicago Blackhawks from the stands or from my couch.