At 25 years old with no family history of breast cancer, Stephanie was shocked when she found a lump in early 2022. She mentioned the lump to her mother-in-law, a nurse practitioner, who encouraged Stephanie to go for a sonogram after the lump started to hurt and grow larger. The initial testing was inconclusive, and it was not until her biopsy that Stephanie found out she had stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. Married with a two-year-old daughter, Stephanie was in her last year of college when she started treatment. Pausing her classes or her internship was never an option that Stephanie considered. Stephanie completed her chemotherapy in October 2022 and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in social working December. Unfortunately, in April 2023 Stephanie felt that something was off. She went for another sonogram and biopsy and received the news that her cancer was back. She began her master’s program in August 2023 and has continued her studies as she did during her first fight.Stephanie’s wish was to have the opportunity to purchase some new items for her future job as she enters her last semester of her master’s program.Inspired by Stephanie’s journey, #FABUWISH was thrilled to gift her with a shopping spree at one of her favorite retailers,TJMaxx.
If you would like to learn more about @giulianarancic’s FAB-U-WISH initiative, or nominate someone for a wish experience, click the link in our bio.
Quote:“It was absolutely a dream come true to be able to spend a weekend shopping! It was a nice way to relax and distract myself after what felt like a long spring semester and months of not feeling great from the side effects of the treatment I am on. With each item that I picked, I could envision myself wearing it to a job interview. I look forward to being a social worker and helping oncology patients and their families. I hope that everything that I have been through in my cancer journey can help me help others feel understood and not alone.”
