In October of 2011, 28-year old Jessica Lynn Wert discovered a lump in her right breast. Concerned, she made an appointment to go see her doctor right away. She was immediately set up for a mammogram and ultrasound, followed by an appointment with a breast surgeon. She received a biopsy and when the results came back, her journey began. On November 1st, Jessica was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. “To be 28 and diagnosed was shocking to say the least,” says Jessica. “When this news came, it was like…okay…another challenge. I’ve been fighting since I was born so let’s just keep going.”

Due to the size of her tumor, doctors recommended chemotherapy to reduce the size before surgery. On December 28th, she had her first chemo session, which she would have to do every three weeks for six months. Two weeks after her first treatment, her hair started thinning. Following her second treatment, she shaved her head. “The most traumatizing thing for me was the loss of my hair,” says Jessica. “I think I wore a wig once and couldn’t stand it so it was ball caps from then on out.” Her nails turned yellow and started chipping, which was odd for her having always had very strong nails. She recalls times when she was starving, only to go out to dinner and have the smell of the food make her sick. The side effects were severe but she used her sense of humor to push through it all.

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