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A few months after her mother’s death, Mary Gonzalez asked her doctor, if she should have a mammogram, the doctor said she was too young. Two years after she found a lump under her arm and after insisting to have it checked she found out it was breast cancer.
“It was like a bad dream. Things were going way too fast and I was in shock. Too many decisions had to be made in too little time. As I remembered my mother going through chemotherapy, losing her hair, the nausea and vomiting, I was terrified,” Gonzalez said.
The fight against breast cancer became a family battle for the Gonzales
“My husband and I became very educated on breast cancer and its treatment. We read, asked a lot of questions, and took it one step at a time.”
One question that remained unanswered was pregnancy after chemotherapy. “After discussing it with my oncologist, my husband and I made a decision to conceive. Three years after my treatment, our son Matthew was born. Today at 13, he stands taller than me and is more handsome than ever.”
Today, 10+ years after treatment Mary celebrates her life every day and is thankful she has the opportunity to see her grandchildren grow.
“Survivorship means that I have been able to see my children grow up; I’ve been given the opportunity to enjoy my grandchildren, the chance to grow old with my loving husband. I am living a full and healthy life!”
Read Marys’s full story on Redes en Accion’s Nuestras Historias.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
