My name is Nadiyah Brown. I was diagnosed with late-stage inflammatory breast cancer at the age of 29 in January of 2015, though I had started my process in October of 2014.
I had 6 months of aggressive chemotherapy, a radical left breast mastectomy, and 35 days of radiation. I’ve also had a medically induced menopause and have been on anti-hormonal medication since 2015. I changed my doctors due to me not feeling heard and since then, I’ve been advocating for myself. This turned out to be better for me because I was given another chemo, which should have been given the first time. I was also offered a clinical trial that I did attempt but did not finish due to multiple reasons. I have been in remission since 2015, however, I suffer from lymphedema in my left arm due to the 13 lymph nodes removed.
Inflammatory breast cancer is rare and the survival rates are not the best, but I was determined to survive! Though my outcome did not look good, faith in God and my willpower to live kept me moving forward. I stayed focused on my treatment plan and did whatever was necessary to become the breast cancer warrior that I am.
As a single mom, my children were my strength because I knew they needed me. God has never left nor forsaken me, and I prayed that my life would be a testimony to my faith in the Lord.
