Kelly Phillips

Tim and I met August 2006. We started dating in September. The last week of October I found my lump. I didn't panic. At 33 years old, I was too young for breast cancer. The diagnostic testing of ultrasounds and mammograms lasted about 6 weeks. That's when I had my core biopsy. Tim was with me. We had been dating for 3 months. The radiologist told us that day that we should be prepared for the biopsy to come back malignant. On December 22nd, 2006, I was told that I had breast cancer.

Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 Tim took me to the Hoyt Arboretum and he proposed! In the following days we harvested eggs, created embyros and began eight cycles of chemotherapy. After chemo, we hoped a lumpectomy would remove any cancer that was left. Unfortunately, the lumpectomy left me with one clean margin out of six. So I came back two weeks later for a mastectomy, with Tim and my parents.

Tim and I were married Friday, July 4, 2008 near our home in Bend, Oregon. Despite breast cancer, I am an extremely lucky woman. And I so am thankful for all my co-survivors.