Allison Hancock’s cancer journey began with a visit to her doctor, who felt something abnormal in her breast and called for a mammogram and an ultrasound. Those procedures revealed nothing that appeared harmful, so he suggested they examine the breast again in three months. When the breast was examined a second time, tests revealed the presence of a tumor. The doctor ordered a biopsy, the tumor was found to be cancerous, and she was diagnosed with Stage 2B invasive breast cancer. With the diagnosis, many things went through Allison’s mind, uppermost being would she be around to raise her young boys. Allison’s husband, Mark, took her to all her chemotherapy treatments. She went through eight rounds, four with the medications adriamycin and cytoxin, and four with taxol. The chemo presented numerous challenges. In addition to her having little in the way of energy to keep with boys, ages three and four, there were cognitive issues, forgetting this and that, but she said the hair loss was really traumatic. She said she felt she had lost some of her identity. After clumps of hair fell, she decided to shave her head and reluctantly became a ‘hat person.’ Allison Hancock eventually completed her regimen chemotherapy and radiation, there remained another phase to her journey. She had to go on an Aromatase inhibitor, which is meant to address any lingering cells. Allison said she might have been 40 years old, but she felt like she was 80. She experienced a lot of joint pain and muscle pain, but knew she had to be on this drug, if she wanted to defeat cancer. She also had a lack of energy. She loved to hike, and had these five-mile hikes she really liked, but just could go on them. Getting her body and her muscles and her joints back in shape was a process, but she finally made it back to normal. Allison went to volunteer with a support in the Portland, Oregon metro area called Breast Friends. With the passage of time, she rose up the ranks and is now its executive director. While Breast Friends has a number of in-person services it can offer those in the Portland area, its website has a wealth of information that can come to the aid of women worldwide as they go through their breast cancer journey. Additional Resources: Breast Friends: https://breastfriends.org