Embracing the rhythms that move us forward

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Editor’s note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S., one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, with one diagnosis happening every two minutes. Breast cancer survivor Meghan Richbourg of Briar Chapel shared with the News + Record her story of battling the disease, which began just under a year ago.

Last October 30 was easily the hardest day of my life.

I went into an imaging center for a mammogram, ordered by doctors since I had found a small lump after working out one day. I was quite anxious all day leading up to the appointment and knew something wasn’t right. When the appointment was taking longer than expected, and the technician’s face looked concerned, I knew it wasn’t good news.

I immediately started to panic — the purest form of shock, fear, and anxiety I have ever felt. All I remember thinking was: “I’m too young for this, I have three little kids at home.”

It actually was shocking to my doctors as well, who thought it was likely a cyst or related to breast feeding. Within weeks, I was getting my first chemotherapy treatment, and with that began my journey to beat early breast cancer at the age of 34 with no family history or genetic factors.

I’m not exactly sure when it happened, though likely over many months, but I spent my time every single day praying, listening to scripture, taking notes, and meditating, and I talked to a wonderful therapist through the UNC Cancer Support Program weekly. I put in hard, hard work every day to shift my perspective from the “what ifs?” to being thankful in the most literal sense.

God sure held my hand tightly through all of this, and He guided me through journaling thankfulness each day. It could have been something as simple as: having more energy, minimal chemo symptoms, more time snuggling with my kids on the couch, amazing doctors, one of the best research hospitals essentially in my backyard, chemotherapy, targeted treatments, radiation, my tumors shrinking completely (“melting away” as my doctors described it) or having a pathological complete response after surgery. The lists goes on and on. When people hear words associated with treatment they are often scared, and I was as well, but I completely changed my thinking. I am so very thankful for advancements in breast cancer treatment, and by God’s great glory, that the treatment was working to kill my cancer.

Fast forward through chemo, radiation, and a double mastectomy/reconstruction (all during COVID-19), and I can feel like cancer is something that has moved into my back seat (maybe even my third row) instead of the passenger side. I can finally talk about it, share my story and hope to mentor other young women who have similar trials.

But back to October ... It’s a month I could dread, hate, choose to block out, wish it was skipped over. Instead I’m choosing to “celebrate my life” and advocate for others. I think of it as a family birthday for me. The year 2020 seems to be stealing a lot of our celebrations, but we can still find moments of true joy and thankfulness in the slower pace we have been forced to live. I believe in looking forward, but I also know that October is a month I will never forget. I will force myself to look back and guarantee that October will not steal my love for the fall, warm lattes, pumpkins and my favorite holiday, Halloween!

I don’t view it as counting specific years post diagnosis, but more as a life celebration for getting through something that took every single support system I had, every single ounce of strength I had physically, and emotionally, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, or as my therapist would often say, “seeing cancer in the rear view mirror.”

For the month of October, I am partnering with the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center as well as Buru Clothing Company to raise funds that will go directly to the UNC Breast Cancer Clinical Fund. This fund will be used for anything related to the clinical program or patient needs. The clinical program includes physicians from surgical, medical and radiation oncology; reconstructive surgery; fertility preservation and psychiatry, as well as radiologists, pathologists, oncology nurse navigators, nurse practitioners and geneticists. Patient, financial and pharmacy benefits counselors, clinical trial nurses, physical therapists, social workers and dietitians also take part.

In addition, money from this fundraiser could be allocated to the Dr. Lisa Carey Fund for Breast Cancer Innovations. This fund supports promising and novel breast cancer research and other essential priorities of the UNC Breast Center. I am passionate about the chance to raise money for a cause that hits so close to home for me. I would love to give back to the amazing hospital that treated me, to breast cancer research in general, and to patient funds for those diagnosed with this disease and might not have the financial ability to treat it.

Here is my shout-out to UNC Lineberger, in case you don’t know much about their program. (They are amazing!) UNC Lineberger is a Comprehensive Cancer Center located in Chapel Hill. As one of only 51 National Cancer Institutes designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, UNC Lineberger is rated as exceptional, the highest category. What a wonderful blessing to have moved so close to this institution a few years back. God surely knew the plans he had for me, and they were good.

I’ll say this in closing: So often our human nature wants a plan. We are comforted by security and soothed by forward vision. And so the delicate dance of our days is learning to balance and to bend with the changes life brings. To face new rhythms, then embrace them until we can accept that change truly is the one thing we can plan on, until we see new rhythms need not be feared; that instead, they can actually open our hearts to the ways we are to go.

Join us for a very special BURU pop-up event to help raise money for breast cancer clinical funds, with 10% of all proceeds going toward the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center. To sign up, visit cutt.ly/buruevent.