Before life threw this curveball at me, I was a working mom who always put her children first. Life was busy, between piano lessons, guitar lessons, church choir, and baseball. I love to travel and in 2023, I was living my best life at 37 years old. On December 5, 2023 I went to the hospital as it was the second day I was feeling chest pain and shortness of breath. The doctors found a racquetball sized tumor on my thymus and was diagnosed with a Thymoma. When I visited the oncologist, he suspected it may not necessarily be a Thymoma, but rather Lymphoma. On January 26, 2024, I went through a needle-biopsy which came back as “inconclusive.” During one of many hospital visits, a wise nurse told me I had to be my own advocate and I decided to make an appointment at the best cancer center in the state. On February 7, 2024, my doctor visit quickly turned into an ER visit. I underwent a surgical biopsy to analyze the tissue. This surgery caused me the most excruciating pain of my life. On February 14, 2024, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The cancer is surrounding the thymus and the lining of my heart. My treatment was six rounds of chemo, each round consisting of 5 days. Thankfully, I completed the last treatment in June. This has not been an easy journey, but I am determined to beat cancer! I have a PET scan scheduled next month and I hope to get good news.
Berenise’s LifeList:
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Family trip to Colorado in November so her kids can see snow.