She was 34 years old, a mom of two and she knew she had breast cancer.
Local Breast cancer survivor--and creator of the Blog '4EVERINMOMJEANS' Krista Toussaint tells CKTB she was living a wonderful life raising a beautiful daughter and son when she felt a lump in her armpit.
She didn't feel a lump in her breast right away, but when she leaned over she could feel a mass.
Toussaint says she called her husband right away and told him that she had breast cancer.
She went to her family doctor and went through testing.
Toussaint was set to celebrate her children's birthdays at Great Wolf Lodge when she received the call that she in fact had breast cancer and it was considered stage two.
She describes the day on her blog:
I couldn’t stop staring into my little one’s eyes the whole time that we were away and dreading what was to come – what they would have to endure through all of this. That was the hardest part. And my poor dear husband. Trying his best to put on a strong face through it all for me and the kids but no doubt he was screaming and weeping inside. I remember sitting on the side of the pool (because yeah, I couldn’t go swimming because I had a biopsy site that couldn’t get wet – way to add insult to injury) and looking at my children and wondering if I would be around to celebrate their next birthdays. It was awful. Absolutely gut wrenching awful.
She says the following weeks and months were a blur.
Toussaint went through 8 rounds of chemo, 25 rounds of radiation and both her breasts were removed.
She says she has a lot of scars, but is very lucky to be alive.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Toussaint is encouraging women to examine their breasts, and be aware that cancer can strike at any age.
Niagara Health is encouraging women to participate in the Ontario Breast Screening Program.
You can find more information by clicking here.
You can read more on Krista's story by clicking here.