When I was 26 years old, I moved to Colorado – the other side of the earth from my entire family. One day my mother called saying she had had a little “bout” with breast cancer…but was ok, and hadn’t told me because I was so far away. My family didn’t want me to be alone and worried.
I decided to start getting mammograms… against the advice of my doctors. They said — even with my family history — I did not need to start getting mammograms until I was 40. I persisted.
For seven years, thankfully my mammograms were normal. But in 2001, things dramatically changed. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, I found a lump in my breast. The lump was confirmed by my doctor two days later. The day after Christmas 2001 I had a biopsy, and the first week of January 2002 I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Because of my age and the aggressiveness of the cancer, my physicians suggested I undergo the most aggressive treatment including a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. At this time, our daughter was 18 months old, and all I could think about was her life without me. So, I listened and took the most aggressive treatment necessary for the next 10 months. I got pneumonia in the middle of chemo, was hospitalized for 13 days and almost died. During chemo, I asked my oncologist, “What can I do to avoid a re-occurrence?” He said, “Drink more green tea.” This was life changing!
Eric and I started The Urban Tea Loft to share our love of tea and the incredible effect it has had on our lives. I hope you will come in and say hello!
