A letter from Amy Edwards

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.

That is the verse The Lord gave me on my first day of chemo and I have lived by that verse every day since then. My name is Amy Edwards. I am married and we have a 4-year-old son. I am an Instructional Specialist in an elementary school in Baton Rouge and my husband, Daniel, works in law enforcement.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2018 and began chemo one month later. I had surgery at the end of July where the doctor removed the tumor, did a bilateral mastectomy, and full hysterectomy. This is the date which I will forever celebrate being officially CANCER FREE.

However, my tumor was so aggressive that it grew larger during my chemo treatments instead of smaller. My oncologist put me on another six months of chemo as a precaution. I will finish my chemo treatments in March 2019 and I will begin six weeks of radiation in April 2019. I have one (maybe two) more breast surgeries that may take me into 2020, but I'll know more about that towards the end of this year. Genetic testing revealed that I carry the BRCA 1 gene mutation which puts me at a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, which is why my surgery included a mastectomy and hysterectomy.

Moving forward, I am working on developing a healthier lifestyle to do all that I can to further reduce my chances of developing cancer again.

Thank you,

Amy Edwards