Chihiro's Journey to Recovery

Dear friends & family,

Thank you for your interest in following my journey to heal.

On 4/29/24, I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (breast cancer) on my left breast. Technically, I knew I had cancer 5 days prior because the hospital app sent me the breast biopsy test results first before any doctors had the time to review them. This might be a great example of how technology does more harm than good…

Since then, I have been busy feeling sad, optimistic, scared, grateful, and sometimes all of them at once.

I have no symptoms except for the lump I found 2 months ago, which is the reason I arrived at this diagnosis. So sometimes, I forget that there is something I need to cure. This might be a blessing so I can live a normal life!

My life has changed A LOT since I gave birth to Nami only 6 months ago. I was "just" getting the hang of breastfeeding and being a stay-at-home mom. It's been so much fun watching Nami grow!

So, this diagnosis felt so sudden and unfair.

Now, I have to suddenly start the weaning process to stop breastfeeding since chemo will make the milk unsafe to drink for Nami. It makes me sad thinking about the last time I would get to breastfeed Nami.

Now, I have to accept that it is very unlikely that I will be able to get pregnant again if I want to prioritize my health. There are many factors like my age (39), the cancer is estrogen-positive, I'm BRCA1 positive, and I decided not to pursue freezing my eggs (it will delay my treatment & too high of a cost) before chemo.

That said, I am grateful for so many things - and these are what keeps me going with positivity:

I have a lovely family - Justin and Nami

My hospital & the care team is amazing, and it’s 2 min from my home

I have many local friends and family who have offered to help

My insurance is a great one, thanks to Justin!

I have a lot of freedom since I wasn’t working

It would be a lie if I told you I’m not scared at all, but I’m trusting my doctors who told me I can cure this. I HAVE to - for Nami and Justin! For my family and friends!

I can’t change the diagnosis, but I CAN control how I react to it.

This fund will help cover out-of-pocket medical costs that insurance doesn't cover, various items to make my recovery comfortable, meals when I can't cook, and more.

I’m so grateful for your support from near & far!!

Chihiro