I was given a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer at the age of 42. I was healthy and had no breast cancer risk factors other than being a woman. I had no family history. As the mother of three children, I took the advice of my breast-dedicated medical team and sought the most aggressive form of treatment. I had five months of grueling chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, and 33 rounds of radiation. With profound gratitude, I am thrilled to say that I have been a survivor for over 11 years. There are moments in our lives that become a marker of “before” and “after”. For me, there is life before cancer and life after. It changed me in a substantial way. At the time of my diagnosis, I could not bear to take a photo of myself without hair. I did not want to have documentation of looking that way. Today, I wish I would have. Cancer taught me that I can carry a burden that seems too heavy to bear. It taught me grit and grace. Cancer showed me where my courage lies and gave me my life's calling; it was the beginning of an amazing journey and the perfect example of God's ability to turn tragedy into one of life's greatest blessings. Cancer taught me that I can use my own pain to help another woman heal. I have learned to make good out of my breast cancer diagnosis rather than making sense of it. I hope one day that I can look back on those I've helped and see an army of unbreakable spirits, and hearts that once felt empty, filled with hope.