Shelby Redfield Kilgore, diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer, shares her motivational journey.

Shelby Redfield Kilgore, is an inspiration for the mankind, Our Hero…

In Shelby’s words.. her story…

Amidst Covid-19, I was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer. As a 36-year-old, adoptee from South Korea, raised in the U.S. it was a complete and utter shock to me. It seemed like the lump I felt in my right breast had popped up overnight.

The month and a half before I started chemo on May, 11th, was a whirlwind of countless doctors’ appointments, scans, tests and bloodwork. I found out my cancer is lobular invasive carcinoma and that I am ER positive, PR negative and Her2 negative. There was so much information I was given and had to absorb and understand. It was overwhelming for me.

One of the most difficult parts for me has been navigating all of this mostly on my own, because I was unable to bring my husband with me, due to the coronavirus. I shed many tears, as I processed my diagnosis and came to accept that I had cancer. It was also very challenging for me to wrap my head around the treatment plan. I was told that I’d have 5 months of chemo, 4-6 weeks of recovery, surgery, 4-6 weeks of radiation therapy, reconstruction, five years of hormonal therapy, and with the likelihood of getting ovarian cancer in my late forties, it was recommended for me to get my ovaries removed in my early forties.

After working with a geneticist counselor and discovering there was a mutation in my BRCA2 gene, it was devastating for me to learn this was hereditary. Being an adoptee and having no access to my family health records brought up feelings of anger, that had I known, perhaps I could have caught this earlier.

The love and support I have received from my husband, my family and my close friends has been a huge part in helping me get through all of this. I am so grateful for the kindness, warmth and empathy that my techs, nurses and oncologist have shown me, even though I know they are going through a stressful time as well, during this global pandemic.

A week after I started chemo, I finally joined a few support groups online and connected with a few women who just started chemo around the same time as me. It’s been extremely helpful to share stories with them and know that I am not alone. It’s good to know that we all go through bad days and good days.

One of the things I am doing to help process everything, is as a filmmaker I am documenting what I can of my cancer journey. It will help me, as well as help others and bring awareness about breast cancer in young women and men. I hope you’ll join me and bear witness to my story. You can catch my first episode on my YouTube Channel – Shelby Redfield Kilgore – Cancer During Coronavirus Ep. 1 Life before Chemo.

https://youtu.be/_4CxJh3xX9I