I was diagnosed in May, 2001. My son was 2 years old and I was pregnant with my daughter at the time. I had a discharge from my nipple and my family doctor sent me to a retired surgeon who saved my life. He ordered several ultrasounds, all of which came back normal, but he insisted on a fine needle biopsy that diagnosed my disease. Many other doctors, including my family doctor, would have dismissed my disease as a blocked milk duct.

I was quite far along in my pregnancy when I was diagnosed, and in fact I went into labour in the oncologist's office at my first appointment, when they confirmed the diagnosis. I am working on a good story to tell my daughter about the day she was born, because it was, shall we say, interesting, to be in labour and in shock at the same time.

Overall, I was very fortunate. I was originally diagnosed (after clinical examination) with inflammatory carcinoma, which is not uncommon in pregnant women. I then had a biopsy and ultimately a mastectomy which showed pure DCIS, a form of breast cancer which is confined to the ducts of the breast and which does not require chemotherapy. I often joke that I am the only woman ever to have danced around an examination room shouting for pure joy "I only need a mastectomy!! I only need a mastectomy!"

A few weeks later, I received the unfortunate news that the sentinel lymph node was positive, which suggested that there was an undiagnosed invasive tumour and that I required chemotherapy after all. After much consultation with various oncologists, and the removal of the rest of my lymph nodes, I did not have chemotherapy, as the consensus appears to be that the lymph node was not truly positive, but rather that the biopsy itself had displaced cancer cells into the node. I had radiation following mastectomy because the tumour was quite large and close to the chest wall, but have not had any other treatment.

I often say that the way that I was diagnosed and the various ups and downs I experienced as my doctors tried to figure out what to do with me were a test of my sanity. Breast cancer in young women is different than cancer in older women and many women I have spoken with have had similar experiences with inconclusive results and lots of unanswered questions about diagnosis and treatment. My advice is to go to the very best doctors that you can find, research this disease yourself, and always get a second opinion.

I am approaching my four-year anniversary, and I enjoy every minute with my children. My daughter is almost four and my son will be six in June. I have not had any reconstruction and have focused on getting fit at this point. In the right bathing suit, I even feel sexy. This disease is a nightmare that I would not wish on anyone, but I have learned to celebrate life, to reach out to others in a way that I never did, to appreciate my husband, who was incredibly good to me, and to look at everything with new eyes.