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Sisters’ Journey Survivor of the Month – Kristalynn Shell
Read her story (thanks www.sistersjourney.org)
My name is Kristalynn Shell and this is my breast cancer story. First, I am a mother (mother-in-love), a daughter and a sister. I have four grandchildren and a grand dog. I have worked for the State of Connecticut for 22 years and I am a lifelong member of Zion Baptist Church in Waterbury. I am a nurse and would never have thought cancer could happen to me.
February 2020 is the start of my breast cancer story. I went for my annual mammogram and got a follow-up call for an additional ultrasound. This did not raise any alarms as I have always had dense breasts. However, when these results came back, the doctor said, “Something is there.” I had no unusual symptoms and the lump was so small it could not be felt. I was referred to a breast specialist and on March 10, 2020 I was diagnosed with Stage 1 ER and PR positive breast cancer.
My first reaction to having breast cancer was complete shock. I sat there with my mom trying to take it all in. My heart was beating extremely fast as the specialist poured out more and more information about my diagnosis. My mind was racing. The world had just been shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, my daughter had just
had a baby and I was the support system for a childhood friend who had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite my diagnosis, I wanted to know if I carried the gene. Were my daughter and her children at risk? I opted to complete genetic testing and was thankful to know that I, in fact, did not carry the gene.
Next in order was my treatment. May 2020, I had a lumpectomy of the right breast and started chemotherapy, which lasted four rounds. Four days after my first round, I began to lose my hair which was extremely hard for me. I was exhausted and in pain on a daily basis, but I pushed on through.
After the last day of radiation, I thought to myself “this is it,“ and I could finally see what I thought was the light at the end of my cancer tunnel. My hair actually did start to grow back and I felt a positive shift in my energy. I was then prescribed a medication that I was told I would have to take for the next 10 years to block the hormones that caused my initial diagnosis.
At the time of writing this story, I am still in pain and exhausted daily from the side effects. But I stand strong in my faith. Breast cancer was my diagnosis, but it does not define who I am. I will remain a warrior and continue to fight this fight one day at a time. October means so much to me not only in honor of myself and all the other pink warriors, but also because it signifies my remission. This October I am celebrating four years since I beat breast cancer.
My favorite scripture reads: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
– Philippians 4:13. No matter what, I will stay positive and continue to walk by faith and NOT by sight.
Thank you for hearing my story.
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