Have you heard of the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach, Florida? Dubbed “The Pink Palace,” the entire 1928 Mediterranean-style resort hotel is, you guessed it … PINK!
I thought it was the perfect spot to celebrate being three years cancer-free and bust out my first Bandit shirt, hot off the print. Taking a break from a mild NYC winter, I headed down to the central Gulf coast this month to spend some time with my mom and catch up on all of my doctor’s appointments at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
After a small scare, I found out a new lump they found was thankfully just a benign cyst, which is an important reminder not to panic when they bring you back for that ultrasound! Especially if your breasts are on the lumpier side. Chances are, it’s nothing, as roughly 80 percent of lumps wind up being non-cancerous. Though I wasn’t so lucky the first time, I felt confident that I was okay this time around. I had multiple multiple scans (and scares) over the past few years (two PET scans and one brain MRI in the last year alone), but my doctor told me that I’m finally past the point of needing anything more than an annual mammogram and breast MRI.
I’m officially a three-year survivor!
Due to the aggressive nature of triple-negative breast cancer, most cases recur within three years, though five years for this disease is an even better marker. However, I’m a firm believer of celebrating every single milestone and three years out disease-free is huge with my type of cancer. I was diagnosed stage 2 due to the size of the tumor and luckily didn’t have any lymph node involvement.
My five months of chemo — exactly 20 treatment sessions — scorched that fucker. After nearly 20 years, I left Los Angeles mid-lockdown with middle fingers in the air, banditting across the country to start my new life on the east coast.