PINK WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT

3X CANCER SURVIVOR

My name is Jessica Florence. I am a 28 year old graduating architecture student at Florida A&M University, from Jacksonville, FL. I was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, with a metastasis to my brain, then spine. My first diagnosis was discovered in 2016 at the age of twenty-two. Prior to my first diagnosis I discovered a lump in my right breast. I have no family history of breast cancer so I didn’t think it was a concern. It wasn’t my first thought so I didn’t think to go get it checked out. My breast were fairly large. In my mind the lump was just some inconsistent breast tissue, but I wanted a second opinion.

It was time for my annual with my gynecologist and I expressed my concerns to her. I felt chest pain, there was discharge in my nipple, and discoloration. She told me that it couldn’t be breast cancer because I was too young so she ruled out breast cancer. She was unsure of what it could be so she referred me to a women’s clinic for a mammogram. Upon arrival, I was immediately denied a mammogram because I was too young. So the alternative was an ultrasound. The ultrasound technician ruled the diagnosis to be fibroids and I was too young to have breast cancer. In the midst of everything going on I started searching google for answers. the symptoms I was experiencing  was breast cancer.

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There was a change in my insurance and I saw two more doctors to make sure that what I was feeling wasn’t breast cancer. In 2016 I was given an ultrasound and biopsy, diagnosed with stage 3A breast cancer and I was HER2+. I did six rounds of chemotherapy, unilateral mastectomy in my right breast, reconstruction, then finally radiation. Fast forward to 2020. The coronavirus pandemic saved my life. I had recently ended my internship at Jacobs Engineering Group in Alexandria, VA. For the entirety of the internship. I had a headache. I don’t how I got through it, but I did. There were  frequent trips to the emergency room, nausea, vomiting, and vision loss. I told the doctor I had a history of breast cancer, but it was over looked. I was diagnosed by two doctors with a tension headache.

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After my internship In January 2020 I returned to FAMU. The pandemic sent everyone home. I was thankful for the pandemic because I had one last emergency room visit that turned in to my second diagnosis of stage IV metastatic breast cancer. The tumor grew so large it was the size of a pancake so it was removed, followed up with chemotherapy treatment. This year (2021) the cancer spread to my spine. I am currently still fighting and going to school, but overall grateful for my life.