1 in 3: Andrea's Story | Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer | Binghamton Photographer

Before I was a photographer, I was a school counselor. While I was working at a local middle school I was introduced to my co-worker’s social work intern Andrea. She was sweet. She was just a little younger than me. Long gorgeous chestnut hair and eyes to match. The kids loved her. We worked together off and on for the school year and went our separate ways. I heard she got married. I heard she had babies. A few years ago I heard that she was battling breast cancer. She was SO YOUNG. With young kids, but I felt reassured when I was told they caught it early and she was most probably going to be just fine. And for a while, i felt reassured that the odds were in her favor and life was fair.

Then on Facebook I saw that she was sick again. She had been given a grave diagnosis of Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. It was attacking other places in her body. She was not well. I was shocked. I thought she would be OK!??? How did she go from having just a tiny cancer scare to this??? She was so young!! She was healthy!! She had little kidS…

So I got in touch and for the past couple of years, she has allowed me to document her family and let me see, intimately, how she is learning to live with a terminal illness. there is no cure. And I have learned SO MUCH from her. I asked if she would write you all a letter to share some things you might not know about MBC. Because I did NOT KNOW. No one told me.

Click the button below to make a donation to Metavivor and help fund research for Metastatic Breast Cancer.