This was the first symptom I had.

Jennifer Kellya young 24-year-old nurse, never imagined that the word “cancer” would end her life so suddenly. Like many young people, health was not a major concern, let alone suffering from a disease that mainly affected older people.

There is no family history or associated genetic mutations.did not meet the typical risk profile for developing breast cancer. But one morning, in the most ordinary routine, while taking a shower, he noticed something that shouldn’t have happened: an unusual lump in his chest. This small detail would be the first of several signs that would irreversibly change his life.

Despite the belief that the disease develops in a specific patient profile, any woman has a 1 in 8 chance of developing this type of cancer, and half of the cases occur in women with no specific risk factors other than gender and age.

Hence the main character of this story, as she herself tells Paradeyou don’t expect it. “The diagnosis of breast cancer was shock “I have no family history of breast cancer and I am not a carrier of any mutation such as the BRCA gene. “It took about four months from when I first noticed the lump to when I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer,” she emphasizes.

It didn’t hurt and didn’t cause any discomfort. Jenn, like many young women, assumed it was something benign, perhaps a cyst or fibroadenoma, two common and minor conditions in women her age.

She had no other obvious symptoms and did not feel sick. His body was no longer sending him any signals, which made him think there was nothing to worry about. But that small, quiet wake-up call marked the beginning of a devastating journey that would change his perception of life and health forever.

Feeling no urgency, he decided to make an appointment with his primary care physician. The waiting time for a consultation will be several weeks, a period that allowed him to observe other subtle changes in the appearance of his chest..

Although the transformations were visible, she was still convinced in her heart that this was nothing more than a temporary or passing thing. Cancer was not on his radar. The disbelief that her body could fight a serious illness without her knowledge accompanied her every day.

When her appointment finally came, she had a mammogram and an ultrasound. The initial diagnosis was encouraging: there was nothing suspicious. However, her gynecologist, having examined her more critically and carefully, decided to conduct a manual examination and refer her to a breast specialist.

This was the key moment, setting off a series of additional studies that, to everyone’s surprise, revealed the harsh reality: not only did he have cancer, but it had become metastatic, also affecting his lymph nodes, liver and bones.

“It was emotionally overwhelming to go from a healthy young man to a terminal diagnosis,” she explains. “My first oncologist even told me that I only had a few months to live. and that I will have to undergo chemotherapy for the rest of my life,” he added.

At 24, the young woman found herself at an unexpected turning point: her diagnosis was devastating. In the blink of an eye, she went from a healthy young woman to an uncertain future filled with treatments and a grim prognosis.

The emotional impact of this diagnosis cannot be underestimated. Jenn clearly remembers how things got dire. She went from planning her future like any young person to living with a terminal illness.

The sense of isolation was palpable, especially as he was the youngest person on the oncology ward. Although there were no visible signs of illness on his appearance, inside he was fighting a battle that few could understand.

During his treatment, he underwent several lines of therapy, from chemotherapy to hormone therapy and clinical trials, which, although they reduced the size of the tumors, did not completely cure the disease.

Passing experience eight different treatments It was a difficult lesson, but it also motivated her to advocate for more research and funding for treatments for metastatic cancer.

Despite the progress made in his treatment, he has not yet achieved the desired “freedom of disease.” However, he continues to hope that one day these words will become part of his story.

Facing this monumental challenge sparked her passion for research and advocacy for others in similar situations. The fight continues not only for her, but for the thousands of people still searching for a cure. That’s why she is an ambassador for raising awareness of metastatic breast cancer, whose World Day is celebrated on October 13th.