Francine’s Story
On August 31, 2022, our lives changed forever. It was my 19-week radiology scan, the day we knew something was wrong with our baby boy.
On November 13, 2022, I delivered my son, Dominic, at 29 weeks, stillborn. We knew something was wrong from week 19 to week 29. What began as 19 weeks of pure bliss turned into the following 10 weeks of a nightmare. We spent 10 weeks hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. To this day, we still don’t have any medical answers as to why or how it all happened. I do know one thing - Dominic was saving my life.
At my six-week regular routine postpartum check-up, my doctor felt a lump on my chest. I had it checked out, and it turned out to be breast cancer. Only six weeks after delivering Dominic.
My body, mind, and soul have been tested more than I ever thought possible. I rang the bell for completing 15 rounds of chemotherapy - six months of sitting in a chair for 1-3 hours receiving infusions. I have had three major surgeries within a five-month span with a few complications. The great news is I had a full pathological response, which means at this point I have no cancer in my body! 🎉
THANK GOD for my AMAZING husband who continues to treat me like a queen through all of this. I literally couldn’t get through all of this without him. He was by my side through EVERYTHING. He went through all of this as much as I did. THANK GOD for my amazing family and friends who are with me every step of the way, supporting and loving me.
Life is wild. In the next few months and years, I will be hitting milestones I never wanted or asked for. But I will be so damn proud. My mom has always said, "It’s all about attitude," and that’s what I remind myself when things get hard. I do my best to stay positive. Some days are harder than others. My pop said to me, “I’m a tough guy, but damn, you’re a strong woman.” I don’t always feel strong. But I fight. I fight for my son, Dominic, who didn’t have a chance to fight.
I am definitely not healed from what’s been happening this past year. But my hope in sharing my story is that I can eventually help others. Help others see that they aren’t alone. Life isn’t easy sometimes. Life can be scary and very dark. But with love and support, there is so much hope. I want to eventually help others see that with all the bad, there is still good. So much good.
I started this journey as a warrior, but I will end it as a survivor. 💗
