Ms. September's story is lovingly sponsored by Robert Schnarrs, M.D.
Featured Business: The Nautical Dog is Williamsburg's only locally owned shop for people and their pets offering the best in holistic pet nutrition and quality items for your dog and cats. The Cat Cove is where you will find adoptable cats from Heritage Humane Society that you can sit and play with.
The theme of A Calendar to Live By 2024 is to Write an Optimistic New Narrative. All 12 women who grace its pages have honest, inspiring stories written in their own words 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. September 2024.
Chelsie Hardin – Ms. September | Diagnosed at 28 (2021)
Breast cancer was always a concern. My great grandmother passed from it, several women in my family have the BRCA1 gene, and my grandmother was diagnosed in 2015. So, when I found my lump in July 2021, I knew it was cancer. Even when everyone said, “Don’t worry, it’s probably just a cyst. You’re so young.” But on August 23, 2021, two weeks before turning 29, I received the diagnosis of Triple Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The exact cancer my grandmother had. I was devastated. My future felt nonexistent, my dreams demolished, but I had to survive. I needed to change my perspective. Cancer challenged everything I thought I knew about myself but couldn’t define me. I was sad, angry, but I had to grow into a better version of myself. A fellow survivor once told me to “do it scared.” After some soul-searching, in 2023 I took her advice to get out of my comfort zone and realized I’d been doing that the whole time. This entire experience was not in my comfort zone and was utterly terrifying. I asked myself if I could shave my head, endure 6 months of chemotherapy, get a bilateral mastectomy at 29 why hold myself back from good and joyous experiences? So, even after treatment, continue to “do it scared.” Let the fear that pushed you to conquer the hard times also bring you the best of times.
MY WORD: I AM COURAGEOUS.