What happened, in summary

DivineMrsM was in her early 50s when she felt a thickening in her left breast in December 2010, only days after an annual mammogram. Within a month, she learned she had Stage IV breast cancer that was estrogen-positive and HER2-negative.

Over the next 10 months, she received six rounds of chemotherapy, underwent a lumpectomy, and completed 33 radiation treatments. She then continued daily Arimidex with PET scans every six months. Almost four years after diagnosis, she described her cancer as stable.

Treatment left her with aching joints and feet, and she learned to pace herself while continuing part-time work as a preschool teacher. Anxiety also became a major part of her experience until she found medication that helped her resume everyday activities. She chose to keep her diagnosis private from friends and coworkers while relying on family and an online Stage IV breast-cancer community for support. Her focus became living in the present, traveling, working, and continuing the activities she valued despite metastatic cancer.