I had that Glow. You know the one you have when you meet the love of your life at a friend’s wedding in Hawaii, and he wants to make you his forever? The one you have when you know nothing can go wrong at 36.  

My life was going great and I was engaged to the love of my life. Planning our wedding and preparing to move to a new city.  I decided to schedule my first mammogram after hearing talk about “early detection”. Little did I know that my life would forever be changed.  

It only took three little words to dim my light. I felt like I was jumped in a gang given these colors – the color pink. I soon learned there was nothing pretty in pink.  

My doctor at the time described the cancer as being non-invasive, requiring no chemotherapy or radiation. He told me that I could choose my own ta-tas (those was his exact words). After that, I got a second opinion which concluded that I would require surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.  

Managing the ebbs and flow of breast cancer diagnoses was never-ending. Our life together was just beginning, and it felt like there was no future insight. We were husband and wife for 16 days before we became caregiver and patient. 

After celebrating 10 years of marriage, being cancer-free, and giving birth to my beautiful twin girls, I’m standing here in my Chemo Glow, willing to share my moments. Because I soon learned that the glow doesn’t define me, I define the glow.