Valerie Troyano

Survivor

My name is Valerie, I’m 47 and I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma back in Sept. 2019. My surgery was Dec 5th, 2019. I had a Double Mastectomy and, on Jan 5th, my lymph nodes were removed. My diagnosis is early stage and I am staying strong and grateful to God for giving me the strength to understand, cope and hopefully be cancer free in the future. I found out my diagnosis over the phone while working a double shift, and when I look back on that day I am such a different person already. I have been humbled by this journey so far. I am ever-changing and growing as well. I have moments of fear, darkness and disbelief but I try to learn from my emotions on how to become stronger and accept the challenge. I applaud and appreciate everything this organization strives for and I hope to be crossing that finish line and come out of it strong, bold, and better than ever!

The photo is a collage my husband and daughter made me to show how strong I’ve been so far ❤️