The theme of A Calendar to Live By 2022 is Perseverance. All 12 women who grace its pages have honest, inspiring stories of perseverance to share with readers -- as well as words of advice for other young women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Read on to get to know more about Ms. February 2022.
Ms. February 2015 | Diagnosed at 44 (2010)
If you met Amy before her breast cancer diagnosis, she’d tell you she was a quiet woman who pretty much did what she was told. Facing a life-changing disease and its aftermath helped her find her voice and learn to speak up not just for herself, but also for those she cares about. She credits the lessons she learned from her experience with being able to advocate for her husband recently as he worked through his own cancer journey. “You had better believe I raised my voice [for him] at things I didn’t like or understand, and I didn’t care if he told me to hush or not. I would never have done that before.” One thing that hasn’t changed for Amy is her love for photography. Even before she had cancer, she used pictures as a way to appreciate and understand life.
Every 5 years, she has taken a photo of herself to show that she can persevere through whatever life throws her way. She does this “to show myself that it’s hard, but if you want something, you have to work at it. You have to have the strength to know that no matter what, this life matters. Live it.”
Amy has this advice for survivors: Take someone with you [to appointments], no matter if you are amazing at listening or not; take someone or ask if you can record what’s being said. There was so much information given that I wasn’t able to understand.