Support Sharma & Team Avatar in Making Strides

The biopsy result came through on April 22nd, 2024 - a phone call I will never forget. I had first felt the lump late at night on April 13th, alone in our home; my husband, Obi, was on a trip. I don't know what prompted me to check that night, but I did. After a paralyzing wave of panic, I forced myself to go to sleep, foolishly hoping that by 3 a.m. it was just a phantom fear - that it wouldn't be there when I woke up. But the sun rose, and the lump remained, demanding action. Those next few weeks felt like living inside someone else's nightmare. I was merely a bystander to my own life. That day marked the beginning of a battle I never imagined I would have to fight. The diagnosis was Stage Il Invasive Ductal Carcinoma - Progesterone/Estrogen positive, HER2 negative. While the prognosis was hopeful and the clinical path was clear - chemotherapy, surgery, then radiation - | was staring directly into the face of my deepest fear, unsure of who would emerge on the other side. Amidst the crushing, mental fatigue and the metallic, bitter tastes of treatment, it was losing my hair that hit me the hardest; it felt like losing a piece of my identity. Yes, I am a lucky woman! I was carried by a beautiful support system of friends and family, and, above all, the unwavering presence of my husband. It has been two years since that diagnosis, two years since my world tilted on its axis. I still navigate waves of anger, grief, and frustration, but I hold them alongside a profound gratitude. My body fought with everything it had, and today, I am a survivor - living with no evidence of disease. This is why I joined Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: to turn my survival into action, honoring the strength of those we've lost while funding the hope and research that will save those yet to be diagnosed.