As I journeyed through breast cancer, I found moments of solace in various practices and resources that helped navigate the challenges I faced. I began to collect these treasures, soothing tools, and accommodations to share with others who might be facing similar struggles.
Below is a list of items that offered me comfort and strength, not just during my treatment, but even now.
This journey is ever evolving, and I will continue to update this list with new discoveries. My hope is these suggestions offer support to anyone navigating their own path.
Feel free to share this list with anyone who might find it helpful, and I invite you to contribute your own suggestions in the comments, reminding each other that we are never alone in this journey.
Before I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer, I thought you lost your hair from having cancer, in general. I quickly learned I was losing my hair from the chemotherapy drugs that were given through IV infusions.
I kept most of my hair for the first 3-4 weeks of TNBC treatment, and my daughter slowly trimmed it away as it started to shed. Losing my hair was absolutely devastating. Those that know me, knew I prided myself in the maintenance of my natural hair. Folks would say, it will grow back, but that is NOT what I wanted to hear or even the point for that matter. Unknown to people who have not had a personal experience with cancer, everyone’s hair does not ALWAYS grow back.
Nine months into my Triple Negative Breast Cancer journey, I still have not allowed myself to be completely in public without a head covering. It feels naked. It feels as-if my whole self is not present. It feels and looks like even though the breast cancer is gone, it is still here.
Oh yes, I had my lumpectomy surgery. By the time you read this, it would have been about eight weeks ago. Recovery was hard and painful at first, but the process has eased up, mostly. The surgeon was successful in removing the remaining cancer chemotherapy did not kill. The surgeon was also able to obtain clear margins. No cancer cells in the surrounding breast tissue. CANCER FREE! A VICTORY!
Next step is radiation. Radiation therapy to the diseased breast, every day for the next five weeks. Radiation therapy does not make you feel ill, like chemotherapy. However, you are tired and want to lay down 12 hours out of the day. There is some darkening of the treated breast, and soreness, but I have not had any skin breakage, or burning. I am confident that it will stay that way, with my current routine of not letting the entire breast get dried. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize seems like the winning plan.
My Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma breast cancer diagnosis changed after surgery from TNBC – Invasive Ductal Carcinoma to TNBC – Metaplastic. Rarer than they thought, and Metaplastic has a higher rate of recurrence. Radiation therapy cleans up any microscopic cancer cells that are unseen and reduces the chance of recurrence. Radiation therapy does not cause hair loss, so I am focused on doing as much as I can to gain that part of myself back, without obsessing and doing too much.
I have not seen many black women on the socials diagnosed with breast cancer, updating their hair growth journey. As vulnerable as it is, I decided to share my journey in hopes that it helps someone. The below pictures are 2 1/2 months post chemotherapy treatment. I have hair again, ya’ll (insert happy tears)! Look at my eyebrows too. haha
Currently I am keeping it simple using these products:
Aunt Jackie’s Biotin & Rosemary Hair & Scalp Oil – I apply the scalp oil once a day in the evenings.
Shampoo – I use a scalp massager and shampoo my scalp as needed.
Jamaican Black Castor Oil – I apply the castor oil once a day in the mornings.
As always, if you have any questions that you feel may help you along your Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma or Metaplastic breast cancer journey, reach out to me in the comments or send an email.
All of you guys who have prayed for me, checked up on me, visited me, and everything in between, thank you with my whole heart! xoxo
I thought I would be able to update you all more, but the last seven months have been INSANELY EMOTIONAL. There are just no amount of words to describe it.
However, after nearly five months of Triple Negative breast cancer chemotherapy, today I finally got to ring the bell to signify the end of chemotherapy treatment.
I could not be more grateful to the Lord, and my Care Team of doctors, nurses, and techs for getting me to a point where I can move on to the next step of getting rid of this cancer that has temporarily taken residence in my body.
But man, shout out to my family, friends, and my co-workers for holding me all the way down, thus far!
My chemo sitting buddies, the home visits, the company through my six-day hospital stay, the calls, the texts, random/special food and juice prep, store runs, my children being my stair-runners, making sure I have every essential imaginary to be comfortable.
EVERYTHING everyone one of you all do and have done for me is appreciated down to my entire soul!
And when I say Edward, my husband, has fulfilled his, “in sickness and in health” marital vows to the fullest, I absolutely cannot express that he has been absolutely SERIOUS about taking care of me and has not missed one consult, appointment, or treatment.
Not one step has been missed in making sure I am taken care of. I say to him often… THANK YOU! He says back to me, you do not have to thank me. There is not anything else I was supposed to be doing. This is what I am here for. Even still, THANK YOU! 🥺❤️
So, after 16 chemotherapy infusions, countless days of being sick, and what seemed like a never-ending hospital stay, my treatment plan for chemotherapy is over.
I move on to surgery, next month, to remove the area where my tumor existed. I chose a lumpectomy, where a portion of my breast is removed, as opposed to removing my entire breast (mastectomy). Then, several rounds of radiation will be necessary to clean-up the area.
The results from my pathology report will determine how many radiation treatments will be necessary. I am a researcher, so I have been preparing myself for this part, and I am very anxious about the number.
However, I am going to do my best to focus on surgery and recovery, for now. Recovery should be approximately 2-4 weeks. My doctors say everyone is different and could be more or less. As mentioned before, I have not been able to update as much as I would like to, but I hope to be back during surgery recovery to let you all know how I am doing. I appreciate everyone for checking up on me and my progress!
If you are going through breast cancer treatment or are mentally and physically preparing to do so and have any questions, feel free to give me a shout.
I have documented everything along the way, for my understanding, and in hopes of helping the next person.
According to breastcancer.org, “exercise may help you have fewer and less severe side effects from treatment. Research shows that exercise can help ease fatigue, lessen anxiety, improve quality of life, reduce the risk of lymphedema, improve physical function, strengthen bones, improve sleep, and ease bone and joint pain.”
Insert record scratch.
Exuding energy you do not seem to have, even a little bit, can help you feel better?
How Sway?
For a good part of a year, I have been wanting to try Reformer Pilates, so I made this my exercise of choice to try and get back into the swing of moving my body.
Prior to being diagnosed with breast cancer, I was in the gym regularly three to four times per week and in an Xtreme Hip Hop dance class one time per week. That all came to a screeching halt, and I found myself barely walking up the stairs in my home, without having to take a break.
I felt like yoga and pilates would be low impact options, while still moving for heart health, gaining muscle, or at least not losing muscle during this journey.
I found Moveology Pilates & Fitness, close to my home, so I decided to give it a try.
The Pilates instructor, Shieda (Shi for short), was warm and welcoming. I always look for spaces that are filled with good vibes only energy, and that it was.
The thoughts ran through my head ferociously before arrival. What will I wear to cover my head? Will I be cool enough, because chemo hot flashes are very real! Would I be able to keep up since this was my first time out, in a workout setting since diagnosis? How many people would be in class, so I am not exposed to all the things that people carry along with them. The list in my head went on and on.
My worries were put to rest, the classes are no more than five people per session. Shi moved at my slow pace, but also adjusted me when needed, and pushed me when I said could not do a certain movement. She made me aware that in her classes, you listen to your body, and adjust to what you feel you can handle. Shi said, “if I feel you can do it, I will encourage you to keep going, but you are ultimately in charge.”
We used the reformer’s main carriage. The reformer’s stand-up bar to stretch, which felt amazing. Then we moved onto the Pilates chair. I made it through the 50–55-minute class, very slowly, but I made it! One thing I know for sure, the sleep I will experience tonight will indeed be improved.
I plan on continuing Reformer Pilates. If you are looking to try out the class, Shieda will be having an open house to check out the space, on May 6, 2023, from 12PM-2PM. If you sign-up by the end of open house, the $100 registration fee is waived.
However, you can always sign up for a drop-in class or one of her packages. Find the link in her Instagram bio, @moveology_fitnessaz and do not forget your grip socks.
Location Visited:
4340 W. Chandler Boulevard, #3 Chandler, Arizona 85226
After nearly a month of testing, I learned the results on January 26, 2023. I have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma-Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). It is stage 2 and grade 3.
Insert the classic Lifetime movie time rewind we see at the bottom of the screen. If you are not looking when it flashes, you are lost. Anyhow, approximately 30 days before official diagnosis, I discovered the lump in my right breast. I usually do my breast self-checks top of the month. Randomly on December 30, 2022, my husband and I were playing around, and I brushed against my breast. I felt the lump and I completely freaked out. I was used to feeling small, squishy, water-filled cysts because I have had those for years. I get them tested, along with my annual mammogram, and they are always benign. This day was different. The lump felt different, hard, not moving at all, and a pretty good size. About the size of a small plum. I had not noticed it at all before this day, and of course I questioned myself tirelessly, how not? That is how prominent it was. My oncologist assured me. The lump might have just surfaced so I could finally feel it. It had been developing for quite some time. That STILL did not change my devastation.
I have cried more than I have ever cried in my entire life. This has all happened in just these last four months or so. And I still cry. After I had physically calmed down that evening, I snapped this photo. I could not believe my life was changing in an instant. In the photo above, I wore contacts and cried until they fell out. So, I had to put on my glasses. I wanted to capture who I was. I knew immediately I would not be the same person through this, years later, or if ever, beyond this experience.
Because of my diagnosis, I have learned A LOT about all things breast cancer. I will share just a fraction of what I have ingested. I have processed this information in a short time. Yet, I am learning more every single day. TNBC accounts for about 10-15% of all breast cancers. The term triple-negative breast cancer refers to the fact that the cancer cells do not have estrogen or progesterone receptors. The cancer cells also do not make any or too much of the protein called HER2. The cancer cells test “negative” on all three tests, thus triple negative. This cancer tends to be more common in women younger than age 40. I am 42. It is also more common in women who are Black. Lastly, it tends to be more common in women with a BRCA1 mutation. Although, TNBC can affect anyone! I fortunately DO NOT have the BRCA1 mutation, meaning I did not test positive for the hereditary gene. Thank goodness for my daughter (sons as well).
My chemotherapy schedule is every week for the next three months. After that, it will be once every three weeks for another three months. A total of six months of chemotherapy. I will have surgery to remove the area where the tumor existed. Then, I will undergo radiation to eliminate any cells that may have been left behind. The next year or so will be grueling, but lifesaving. By the time I make this post public, I will be in week seven of 24 weeks of active treatment.
There are days when I do not feel strong. I am not the breast cancer warrior everyone expects me to be. That is ok. If you are here, or know someone who is, it does not mean you or they have less faith. It means we are human. The next day you may feel like you can take on anything, with all the positive and good vibes radiating. When we need encouragement and comfort of all sorts. Taking one day at a time, has been my motto thus far.
I am grateful that I caught my tumor in its “early” stage. My family and friends have been close and comforting. My work team has been incredibly supportive. Everything about my treatment center is AMAZING. I am grateful. There is an incredible fighting chance. Doctors are equipped with all the knowledge, medicine, and technology available these days. Am I still scared, yes. Absolutely. It’s natural to feel this way. If you are reading this and are in a similar situation, rest in the unknown. If you know someone who is, let them rest in the unknown. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need to be positive all the time. It can be exhausting and honestly, it doesn’t help. Feel all the feels, as you feel them. CANCER SUCKS and it is ok to feel it, think it, and express it. At times, or even often, I do not feel strong enough to endure another moment. Yet, it is nothing short of amazing what our bodies can endure, even when you think it cannot.
The good news is that my tumor is already responding to chemotherapy! When I found the tumor, testing and biopsies began immediately. During this time, my tumor more than tripled in size before even starting treatment. That is how aggressive this is. I still have a long road ahead. Surgery and radiation are to follow. Now, the size of my tumor is less than half the size, to touch.
It has taken me three months to publicly talk about my diagnosis. Sharing it aloud with folks outside my close friends and family was challenging. It is still a struggle at times to speak about it. I do believe that I have this platform for a reason.
I am not going to scream from the rooftops about ensuring yearly routine mammogram screenings. However, I will quietly remind you, whenever it fits, do not miss your mammogram screenings. It is LITERALLY a matter of life and death!
If you want to keep up with my journey, you can find updates here. I will post when I am up to it. It is an outlet, and I hope it inspires but most of all informs.
Sign-up as an email subscriber at the bottom of the website. You can also subscribe in the right-hand column. You will be sent an email when I post an update of my journey to survivor! There is actually some fun stuff, like wigs, eekk… I am not too savvy with a lace front, but I am going to learn. I will also explore cute scarf tying, cancer comforts, and ways to keep a bald head healthy. Also, my regular posts about cool things I find joy in, that you should also give a try.
Sharonda Shariee - Curating a Life Well-Lived 
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