Our Story

"You have aggressive breast cancer Christina".

 

I can still hear those words echo in my heart as I was standing in the hallway of the Department of Biology at DU on the other end of a cell phone. A colleague was walking by and smiled. I smiled back. Inside I was lost. What was I to do? Where could I turn?

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In 2011 this was not the only challenge I was facing. In May 2011, due to lack of government funding, I stepped away from a tenure track position as a Biology Professor. That same month I got divorced and became a part time single mom. Three months later, I was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and the BRCA2 mutation. It seemed overwhelming. But somehow it wasn't.

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Though this may seem impossible, through all of this, I had so much peace in my heart. I was calm and focused. I knew there was a bigger meaning to be found in all of these experiences, and that my life would never return to what it was before my illness.

 

I also knew if I survived that I needed to share this ability to remain calm in the midst of a storm,

with those finding themselves overwhelmed by life through sickness, depression, grief, packed schedules, life changes, job loss. 

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One day, in the midst of the craziness, I remember driving to pick up my daughter from school. I had to leave work early, suffer the disdainful looks of those I worked for, contemplate the extra cost if traffic would not allow me to get to school on time, think about whether I had food to cook and also if I had the energy to do so.

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"If only I had someone in my corner" echoed in my head.

From this implication of unconditional support, 

Yes We Can Help was born.