From Diagnosis to Healing: Jetzany Gasca's Breast Cancer Journey

Luke 1:45 is a Bible verse where Elizabeth praises Mary, saying, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" (NIV). It highlights faith in God's faithfulness, celebrating Mary's trust that God’s word would come true, marking it as a moment of great blessing.

Guest Name

Jetzany (Jetzy) Gasca

Socials:

Instagram and TikTok: @jetzy_rn

Content Type
Interview

Primary Goal
Educational

Summary
Jetzany Gasca shares her inspiring journey through breast cancer, motherhood, and faith. Discover her insights on resilience, self-care, and the importance of community support during challenging times.

Keywords
Breast Cancer, Motherhood, Faith, Resilience, Self-Care, Support Systems, Cancer Journey, Empowerment

Key Topics

• Breast cancer diagnosis and emotional impact
• The evolving relationship with her sons during treatment
• Faith, prayer, and spiritual support during illness
• The importance of self-care and mental health
• Lessons learned about motherhood and life after cancer

Takeaways

• It's okay to feel sorrow, but strength comes from moving forward.
• Community and loved ones are vital support during illness.
• Faith and prayer can provide peace and healing.
• Self-care is essential, even during tough times.
• Motherhood evolves through different phases, each beautiful.

Sound Bites

• "90% chance it's cancer."
• "Prayer helped me find peace."
• "I know I'm healed."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Personal Background

02:27
Motherhood Journey and Diagnosis

05:31
Facing Cancer: Initial Reactions and Emotions

08:19
Navigating the Unknown: Fear and Uncertainty

11:27
Support Systems During Cancer Journey

14:31
Mental and Emotional Health Strategies

17:35
Self-Care and Grace for Moms

20:30
Community and Resources for Support

23:34
Advice for Moms with Young Children

26:32
Life Lessons and Perspectives Post-Cancer

29:32
Messages for Future Generations

32:42
Final Thoughts and Reflections

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello, beautiful. Welcome to Mount Life, where we talk about everything from family planning to menopause.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Most women underestimate the power of resilience until life demands it. Bethany Gaska, a mother and breast cancer survivor, shared her wrong journey from diagnosis to healing. Revealing how she found strength in fate and self-casting. Her story isn't just about cancer. You are stronger than you know, and your life is worth living. Sounds almost like your sister. We get that all the time. All the time. It's really great to hear your voice. It's been still long. Yes. Years. Almost decades, I want to say. Almost. You know, I have to say that my eyebrow shape is the same eyebrow shape of that one time you waxed my eyebrows. No way.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

That's so funny.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Almost 20 years ago. Almost.

SPEAKER_03 3:50

You're like, this is my face. This is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

It's wild. It is so wild. Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your beautiful family. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

Well, my name is Jetsany Gasca. Jetsy for short. I am a registered nurse. I'm a mother of twin adult sons. I I used to call them my man babies. Now they're just my men. Um I've been married, yes, for 23 years. And I'm a woman who has gone through and battled through breast cancer.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Wow. What a journey. What's been your favorite part about motherhood? Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

I think for me, every phase is a beautiful phase. You know, when they're little, they're so precious and so loving and you have so much time with them. But now as adults, I get to see these amazing men. I'm so proud of them and I love them so much. So every phase is beautiful, but this this part of motherhood I'm really enjoying where they really are adults. I don't have to do anything for them, and you know, they don't do anything for me. We're just kind of like partners at this point in life. It's it's really changed.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

So I love it. Well, kudos to you for also raising them to be independent at this point. Yeah. I'm sure is very important. Yeah, it's very important. What was life like for you as a mom before your diagnosis?

SPEAKER_03 5:27

As a mom, I think I was more a companion to them. I always uh you know, they always see me as their mother, but we have a different relationship now at this time of their life and mine. So I I was very separate. As a mom, I was very separate from them, right? I wasn't taking care of them, I wasn't nurturing them. You know, they'd come and go, I see them and not see them for a few days and check in with them. So it was I guess it was pretty distant in a way.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 6:02

In a way, we're still very close and um there's a lot of love, but I think with men, you know, uh they're not so attached to their mother and their father. Right. So it wasn't something that like we were very close and had like a you know, a very close relationship, I wouldn't say.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Okay. Can you share the moment you found out you had breast cancer and what went through your mind as a mother?

SPEAKER_03 6:30

So because I'm a nurse, I already had like an instinct that it was gonna be positive. So when I found when we found the lump, I didn't find it myself. My husband found it. We were laying in bed watching TV and he reached over to me and touched it. And then right away when he touched my breast, he's like, I feel something really hard. And then I felt it, it was like an instinct in that moment. He's like, wait a minute. I touched it and I felt it, and I my first instinct, my first reaction was probably my breast uh implant encapsulating, you know. So that was like my first like clinical reaction, and then I felt it more, and I was like, No, I don't think that this is good. I went in, I I told him at that moment, Oh, I have a mammogram I need to schedule. I need I'm gonna call and schedule it. I did, I I did that. When I went in, one of the screening questions was, uh, do you feel anything? And I said, Yes. And she said, Unfortunately, we can't do the mammogram, it has to be a diagnostic mammogram with ultrasound. And so it took another two weeks, went in, and when I saw the image in the ultrasound, I knew at that moment that it was going to be, and then they rushed to get the biopsy. And only when I spoke with the radiologist about the biopsy, I asked her straight out, What do you think the chances are? And she said 90%. So then I was like, Okay, now emotions come up, right? And then I told my husband, we need to talk to the boys at this point because it's going to be positive. Like she just can't tell me without you know, the results that it's not. So that evening we talked to the boys, I was very calm. But then the next day is when less than 24 hours from the biopsy, they called me at work. I was at work. And they called me to tell me, and I was very calm because I had a patient waiting for me. Very calm. I grabbed a little, I still have the paper, I grabbed the paper and started writing everything, every detail she was telling me. I was very calm. I hung up, I called my husband, and then I told my patient coordinator. And we were both kind of like staring at each other, and she says, Do you want me to tell the patient? And I was like, No, I'll I'll go in and tell her, just cancel the rest of the day. And I went in there and told her. And then my husband then sent, he called the twins to pick me up. They were they would happen to be together, and then they picked me up from work and we were in the back office and I told them and I just kind of like cried a little bit, but I didn't, you know, I was just trying to hold it together. I just cried a little bit and and then one of them is more emotional than the other twin. They're very different, but you know, being twins, uh, they're very different. And so I knew that I could not go with the one that's a little bit more emotional because I was like, it's not gonna be a good car ride home. Yeah, yeah. So I went with the other one, and then the other one was very stoic and quiet, and I said, I think I need to call my godmother, and I called her. And then the moment when I broke down was when we all arrived at home. At that moment, my husband was home waiting for us, and I kind of just like let it all out. I was crying and upset, and oh, that was my woe with me moment, you know? And then Isaiah, the calmer twin, looks at me and he's goes, You have twenty four hours. You have twenty-four hours to feel sorry for yourself, to cry it out, to feel all you need to feel, but after that, we need you to be strong. Yeah, I'll never forget that moment. It was just the four of us. And so I did. I I took twenty-four hours and I felt sorry for myself, and I stayed on the couch and you know, had um a bad day. Had a bad 24 hours, and then after that I was good. What other choice did I have as a mother? Right when your son asked you to be strong.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Wow. During this time, what thoughts were going through your mind?

SPEAKER_03 11:10

The initial thoughts were really scary because you don't understand or don't know how your body's gonna react. Before the diagnosis, I felt so healthy. I had lost like 60 pounds. I was working out, I was eating healthy, I felt and looked good, and then I got this diagnosis and I didn't know how my body was gonna respond. I didn't know how thick I was gonna be. And that was the scariest part, is like not knowing if the treatment is going to tear me down, right? Um, how my body was gonna respond to it because the twin pregnancy wasn't easy on me. I was nauseous and throwing up all the time, I was weak and I I wasn't at my best in my pregnancy. So I thought, how am I gonna do this? And then apart from that fear, you have like another fear of like you don't know everything. Once you get a diagnosis, that's the first step, but you don't know the staging correctly, you don't know how like how deep this is. There's much more than staging, there's grading and there's other things that they look at, and so it's a waiting process and it's doctor's appointments and MRIs and PET scans and CT scans. So it's like all of that waiting period is just uh the most horrible experience. Um not knowing anything is scary.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

And I appreciate that you're saying that because you are in the healthcare industry, and for you to even say that just is a relief to uh to those of us who are listening, because it is so much of the unknown and that we're known, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

And and that and it it's true because that's not my specialty. My special my specialty is cosmetic dermatology, but I have friends in different specialties and they all don't know, right? They don't know the steps, they don't know like really anything about cancer. If you're not in oncology, you don't even know. And even then, when I met some oncology nurses, like you don't know the exact steps until you go through it yourself, right? You really can't be an advocate for anyone until you really actually walk through the steps yourself.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yes, very, very true. Do you feel that the weight loss contributed to to finding the lump earlier?

SPEAKER_03 13:47

No, I don't think so. Um I think that with cancer, we honestly I it wasn't even I don't even think it was caught that early. I feel like I feel like it was even though the staging for me is uh stage two, grade two, it did spread to a lymph note, which means it's m not, you know, early stages. Once you it spreads in the lymph nodes, it it gets a little bit, you know, out of control or it can. And with my case, we didn't go like the normal route. Um, we did chemo first. And so usually with breast cancer, it's surgery first, and they dissect the lymph nodes and see if there's more than one positive lymph node. But because I did chemo first, we were never gonna have the most accurate staging. So I till this day I don't know. We are going by what the scans are saying, um, said and the pathology results after the chemo. But also it's like staging is not, I feel like not so important for for someone going through cancer. And it's almost like an uncomfortable thing to talk about because people see you and they assume that because you're here and you're fighting and you look good that you're not in advanced stages. But there's people that are in advanced stages that look well, right? You would never know that they that they are. So I think that's that's one thing I'd I'd love for more people to understand is like even if it's stage one or stage four, it's still cancer. You're still touched by that word, and it's very scary.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Yes, it is a it's a very scary word. It's a very traumatizing word, as you know through the experience that we faced with my mom. And I I too had experience with cervical cancer, and it was one of those situations where it's like you do your you do your due diligence, you have all of your checkups and all that stuff, but you never know when it's gonna hit you because you'll never know. Exactly. Cancer does not discriminate. Cancer knows no bounds, like yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Yeah, and with breast cancer, it's one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. One in eight women is huge. Huge. I'm not the first person you'll know with breast cancer, and I'm not gonna be the last. Like you're gonna have a lot of friends, a lot of people in your life that are gonna be touched by breast cancer specifically. It's a huge number. So, you know, it's just it's just one of those things.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Who or what support systems helped you the most during your cancer journey?

SPEAKER_03 16:43

Definitely my my men, my boys, my husband, but also my sister. My my parents did what they could. They're elderly and my mom has dementia, but their love and support, you know, checking in on me, coming in whenever they could. Um, my sister went to a couple of chemos with my boys. So, with having, you know, like these men are like doing their own thing, right? They have been for a while. Um, I always felt a little closer to the more emotional twin because he's more emotionally available to me, right? Right. So we always had a a um a more of a bond than the other twin. And so the other twin, Isaiah, um during this time, for whatever reason, his work schedule just worked out better with my oncology schedule. And he was home more. And during these times, we were able to do so much together. One of the things that I did during the cancer diagnosis is I kept my workout regimen. Um, so I would still work out and I would still run and uh move my body when I could. And he was my like little partner, he was my workout partner. We would on the days that I felt good, I'd be like, let's go run, and he'd go run with me. And so, you know, I couldn't run a lot, I just would do like a mile, less than a mile, and it's just jogging. But we would go out there and run together, or I I would want to get out of the house and let's go to Sprouts, and he'd go to Sprouts with me, and or he'd go to you know, appointments with me. So they both were very much available to me, but I had an opportunity with this diagnosis to get a deeper bond with him.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Oh, that is so beautiful. What advice would you give to moms who may be afraid to ask for help?

SPEAKER_03 18:47

Well, you know, I was not one to be shy about what I need. I think it's just like part of my personality is like even at work, I'm like, hey, can you do this? Uh I need help with that. I'm not one to I don't know, I just I can't it that's just part of my personality is to be vocal and like stand up for myself and and I just wish that other women would you know, feel like they they have the voice to stand up for themselves. To even if it's asking for help. Um you don't have to be vulnerable, you don't have to be the stronger person all the time. Y you're not weak if you're asking for help. It's just you know, when you're going through something like cancer and you're a mom, I can't imagine like having little children and not having help. So if anyone is going through that, any woman is don't be afraid to just say, This is exactly what I need. People will and want to give it to you.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Thank you. Very, very well said. And it's so true. When you ask for help, you will receive it because people are always willing to help.

SPEAKER_03 20:01

Yeah, I mean, my all my cousins, everybody, you know, they were all excited and wanting to help. So people will want to be there for you. It's in human nature.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

How did you take care of your mental and emotional health while going through treatment?

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Well, well, that didn't come easy. Um I was really afraid in the beginning, and even in starting chemo, I was still very afraid. And it was a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of, you know, just like crazy thoughts going through your head. But what I found that helped me the most was prayer. So I would get messages all the time of people praying for me. And then one night I woke up out of my sleep like at three o'clock in the morning, because I kept hearing this name and it was Fatima. And this voice kept saying, Fatima, Fatima, Fatima. And I'm not a religious person, but I think I'm more spiritual. And in that moment I just grabbed my phone and wrote down the name and then I went back to sleep. And in the morning I called my godmother who's very Catholic and traditional and very spiritual and has a very deep relationship with God and with Jesus. And I I saw that when I picked up my phone, an image of the patron say a Fatima popped up, who um, who is the Virgin Mary, right? And I called her and I said and I told her what happened, and then she told me who she was, and she told me her story, and she told me who she was, and we kind of left it at that. And about an hour later, she texted. Me, my godmother, and she says, You know, I think that Fatima wants you to pray the rosary, and so I'm like, Well, I don't even know how to do that, Nina. And she's like, Let me send you a YouTube video. So she did, and I did. I picked up my rosaries because you know, you grow up Hispanic Catholic, you grow up with these things, and you don't really know what how to use them, but you have them, and so I picked up my rosary and I sat outside and I pray the rosary and I just felt a relief. I just started crying, and I felt like the weight has been lifted off my shoulders. And then in that moment, I just wanted to know who Jesus was. I kept praying the rosary and I just felt a peace that I wish everybody could experience because that was like the moment where I said, I I like I know that I'm healed. I know that he's gonna heal me and I'm gonna be okay. And I was able to find peace through Jesus and through his mother who prayed for me.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Wow, what a powerful sign that was quite actually sent to you from above. It that is so, so powerful. Wow. What are some ways moms can give themselves grace during difficult seasons?

SPEAKER_03 23:30

Oh my god, self-care is always the best way to give ourselves a little bit of grace as women, as mothers, um, and whatever aspect of self-care that is, whether it's getting your nails done, getting your eyebrows done, getting a facial, or working out, reading a book, taking a moment to yourself where no one else is talking to you, or even if it's picking up your phone and like going through TikTok for 15 minutes, it's just take some time for you. You I feel like a lot of mothers feel a lot of guilt, especially when they have little children of not doing something that they want for themselves. It's like, girl, just do it, you know. That's those kids aren't gonna remember you for the next 15-30 minutes. Just just do what you want.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

And I love how you time stamped that, like 15 to 30 minutes. And really, like when you devote 15 to 30 minutes to yourself, it makes such a difference.

SPEAKER_03 24:32

Huge difference, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Yes. What resources, organizations, or communities helped you during your cancer journey?

SPEAKER_03 24:42

Uh really, it was my family and friends. Um, that was my community. They had their own little group chat apart from me to check in and making sure I was okay. They would check in with my husband and my sister, and like they had their own community outside of me, but I knew that anything I needed, they were there for. And what was great is a lot of the time I didn't have to ask for it myself. It was just like people delivering food or people delivering flowers, like even like the little things like that, like just knowing or the messages of I'm praying for you, that's so important. That was my community through the cold cancer. It's like you don't have to be here every day physically, but knowing that you're praying for me, knowing that you're thinking about me, that is everything. That's all the community I I needed.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

What support services do you recommend for moms who are newly diagnosed?

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Well, it's just like I said, it's usually it's you always gonna be the people that love you. They are gonna be the ones that are going to support you the most. Uh, they're gonna be the ones that you're gonna rely on the most. Um, so for those of us going through it, you don't have to pick up the phone when everyone calls, or there was a lot of times where I snooze some people. Um, but just knowing that they are out of hand's reach is is really important.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

What advice would you give moms navigating doctor appointments, treatments, and parenting at the same time?

SPEAKER_03 26:27

That's so challenging, and you know, I'm so grateful that I didn't have to do that right. So I'm I was at a different time in my life. My children were adults and they were helping me. Um, especially with the early chemo, I was it was the strongest of the chemos, and so I wasn't able to do a lot of that myself. So my son would help me, his girlfriend would help me. Um, but I can't imagine having to do that with little children and taking care of them, driving them around, and then having to do that for myself. So I don't I don't know what advice that I would give other than you know, make sure that there's a lot of people helping you around. I know that there's resources. Um American Cancer Society has people that can drive you around to doctor's appointments. But to be honest, when I was in the oncology rooms, I never ever saw like agencies or you know, people getting dropped off. It was always a loved one there with them. But I know that there is resources for people out there who maybe don't have the luxury of having someone, maybe their partner works a lot, and maybe their family's out of state. But there are resources like that can that can provide those kind of services of driving you to your appointments and um and not only appointments but grocery business and whatnot.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

How has your perspective on motherhood and life changed after surviving cancer?

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Oh my lord, that's deep. I don't know. I feel like my perspective on life is different. To be honest, I feel like I changed day by day. And now now more than ever, I want to live my life with more intention in every aspect of my life. I want to be more intentional with the things that I do and the things that I say. Um you know and then as far as motherhood I'm not raising children anymore. And for me, I just want my my men to know that they can trust their body um to live life beautifully, right? Because we all don't know how much time we have left. So just live it with a lot of intention and live it purely and beautifully.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Very well said. What are some lessons your experience has taught you?

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Oh my I don't know if there's like one specific lesson. I know that that's kind of like I think it's an ongoing process for me of like because when I think about that question, I think about like what was the purpose of this happening, right? And I don't know if there was a purpose. I don't know if that was just to bring me closer to God or bring me closer to my children. I told Isaiah, my son, I told him, if cancer was to bring me closer to you, because our relationship wasn't very close. I told him I would do this all over again. And he looks at me and he's like, Mom, don't say that. I'm like, it's true, I would. It was just like, you know, I think things happen, but I don't think that there's a lesson I learned in every hard thing that happens to you. I think that could be like I think that was like one of the things that kind of like rocked me in the beginning, is like is there a lesson for me? Did I do this to myself? But I don't think that that's the case. Cancer is just something that happens and it's just part of the life experience, but I don't necessarily think that there's always a lesson in that. You know?

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Yep. I I completely agree with you because uh I though I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Yeah, sometimes we do not know what that reason is. And we may not ever find out what exactly, but that's a higher power.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

Yeah. Only God knows, right? Only God knows. And sometimes we will live this life without understanding the reasons of why things happen.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

What would you say to a mom who has just received a cancer diagnosis?

SPEAKER_03 31:22

I would tell her that uh your body did not do this to you and your body is capable of healing itself. This is not something that you did. This is just something that happened, and your body loved you and you're going to heal and you're gonna get better at that.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

I love it. Beautiful. What do you hope your twin boys learn from your journey?

SPEAKER_03 31:53

Um I I hope that they see that women do go through so much more than men do. Right? We bear children, we carry the weight of the world, we are the nurturers, the givers of life, and uh, you know, health-wise, we're ignored a lot of the times. Our symptoms are kind of brushed off, especially when you're younger. And women do really go through so much. Mm-hmm. And I want them to just always know that women have a hierarchy on this earth. They should love and respect us, right? And and just I want them to really I know that they respect women and I know that they love women, but I know I want them to really see me and when they have their wife and they have their partner like uh see her in the way that they saw me.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

What a beautiful message. And it totally is a testament to the way that you've raised them in making them into the men they are today. And we'll it'll make them great partners, great fathers, great husbands. And also from the relationship that you have with your husband, because from what I remember, you guys are just ahead of yourself. I mean, it was always so beautiful to see you both together. And it's a beautiful way to set them up for success. Thank you, and yeah, absolutely. I'm gonna ask you a few quick questions with quick responses. Uh one question is what is one thing that helps you smile during your treatment?

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Oh my gosh. Probably reality TV. Okay. Like what specifically were you interested? I love trash TV. I love like not having to think about anything when I watch TV. So I love like I would like watch all the series that I've already watched. I'm I I don't know why I do that, but I love to rewatch things. So the Real Housewives series I loved. And um, what else was I watching? Oh my gosh, we had a party during my chemo days for Love Island. I loved Love Island at the time. That was just like so much fun. Our friends came over and we had like a whole themed party, and I made cups with like our names to like mimic like the Love Islanders. It was so fun. Um, so yeah, it's just like dumb stuff, you know, kept me happy. My friends kept me happy. One time, like one of our close friends came over and everyone was drinking. Obviously, I wasn't, and we were just like having the best time, you know. It was just I felt normal, you know, just everyone's like love and laughter. The moments I didn't feel like anyone was treating me as sick, that was like the best. Like it was just like, you know, having fun with people.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

I I enjoy that too. Just things that don't make you think, right? Yeah. Especially when you're going through a hard time. Uh-huh. I don't want to have to think about anything. Give me something to laugh about. Yes, exactly. What's one piece of advice for moms going through a hard season?

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Um, I I feel like when when moms go through it, I feel like they they're they lose a lot of like themselves, right? Always know that you're a woman before you're a mom. And you know, kind of like tune into yourself, come back to yourself a little bit. Because sometimes, you know, the stress of motherhood, especially when you have young children, can be a lot, right? When different circumstances work, partners, you know, bills, all of that come together. It's just you kind of like lose yourself. So remember always that you're a woman first and give yourself a little grace and like take some of that power back.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

I love your response. And I know that I've been saying that a lot, but that is such a beautiful response. Because it does remind me of when I was seeking counsel from my mother-in-law, and she said those words to me. And I just it just deeply resonated with me, you know, like it is being made all. And I'm like, yeah, yes.

unknown 36:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:55

Thank you for saying that. Yes, we are, and we forget about that so often.

SPEAKER_03 37:01

You know, whether we're caretakers, whether we're partners, wives, whatever it is, we lose who we are as women first. So it's like, get back to that girl.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

Yes, get back to her. What's one thing you're most grateful for today?

SPEAKER_03 37:21

Oh my gosh. I'm so grateful for this beautiful body. You know, she's gained a lot of weight. She lost her hair, it's growing back great. It's not, I'm not the same woman that I was, but I'm so grateful for this body who healed me and is taking good care of me. Um, that's what I'm most grateful for. I'm so grateful for that.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

If you could speak directly to every mom listening who may be facing a health challenge right now, what would you want her to know?

SPEAKER_03 38:00

Kind of like what I said before is we I think like we when we get diagnosed with something, we kind of like take it personal, or I in the beginning I wanted to to take some responsibility. I I said that out loud many times. It's like, what could I have done? Like, what did I do? I went through my kitchen, tossed out all the plastics, changed, you know, from nonstick to something more clean and watch what I ate and like flipped my world upside down. But it's you don't have to blame yourself. You don't have to find a solution. And so don't be so hard on yourself.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Yeah, it's very, very true. And just as in my situation, I had done the due diligence in getting all the HPV vaccines to prevent the cervical cancer, and I still got the diagnosis, and it was like what?

SPEAKER_03 38:58

And I thought I did everything I was supposed to do.

SPEAKER_01 39:01

Yeah, exactly. So I went through that spiral too, and it's very, very common for someone who's going through this.

SPEAKER_03 39:09

But yeah, at least and it's okay, like we could do those things, right? Like we should, we should take be more mindful, but at the same time, as like like you said before, you don't know who's gonna be touched by this, right? Cancer doesn't discriminate. We may or may not ever know why these things happen to us. It could be I no genes came out for me, but it could still be genetic. Maybe there's something that they're not testing, or maybe you know, is something that I was exposed to 10 years ago, or the stress that I carry, or everything combined together. We just don't know.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

What is your favorite quote?

SPEAKER_03 39:50

Oh my gosh. So when because you sent me a few questions and I skimmed through them, but when I read that question, my first thought was this quote is is I'll tell you how I'm doing, bitch. Not that well. And like for me, it's like it's from one of the reality shows that I watch, it's Real House I was in New York. Dorinda said it, but it just I always think about it and I I think about it all the time because people always ask you how you're doing, and you're supposed to just say, I'm fine, right? That's the polite thing to say is I'm doing good. Thank you for asking. But if you're gonna ask me that question, I'm gonna tell you how I really fucking feel. Today, I don't feel good. Like every day, how are you doing, Jeffy? Uh I'm kind of tired today. Yeah, it was a rough night. I couldn't get any sleep. Oh, I'm so sorry. Yeah, I know. It sucks. It's menopause. Now I'm medically induced menopause. So if you're gonna ask me, I'm gonna tell you. So snap, snap, snap, Jetsy. Snap, snap, snap. No, but if I wanted to give you like another quote, because really that was like my instinct to tell you that. But there is another quote that is a little bit more on my you know, spiritual journey. It's Luke 145 is blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promise to her. And I think it has a lot, that quote resonates with me because I feel like it has a lot to do with like the power of like manifestation and like believing in the Lord and believing that he has healed you. So it's like, of course, I'm blessed because he's healed me. And of course, I believe that, like without a doubt in my mind, like I believe that I'm healed. Um so I think that's a very powerful quote that I look back at as well.

SPEAKER_01 41:55

Yes. Wow. Now, since you've gone through this journey and you've faced that exper the experience head-on of our mother Fatima. Do you find yourself more religious now? Has has that view changed for you?

SPEAKER_03 42:16

I find myself definitely uh a higher calling, whether that's more religious or not. I I never was one to like want to go to church and during after the Fatima's call, I began to um going to see the Eucharist in person and meditating in the chapel and praying the rosary and recently uh begun my confirmation. Um so uh that part of me is really important. I still struggle a lot with the Catholic Church itself. For me, I do feel like the Cat I'm a Catholic and that is where my spirit my spirituality at this moment is leading me, but I still struggle with some of the institution itself, the institution itself. And not only the institution itself, but also like I'm a very liberal woman. I believe in women's rights, I believe the women have you know um the power and ability to choose on their own. I don't think that religion and you know the government should be intertwined. I believe in gay rights and I believe in the LGBTQ plus community, and so that's also something that I struggle with within the church, but I do believe that Jesus loved us all equally and purely and wants us to be loving and caring for each other above all.

SPEAKER_01 44:36

Thank you. Are there any final words you would like to share with our audience?

SPEAKER_03 44:45

I think we want to leave it out. And we're a lot of things expected about earth. And we identify so much as being mothers and caretakers. But at the end of the day, we are all just girls trying to get through this life. And I just wish that every woman sees the beauty of themselves and in their body and in this life. Um I want people to trust themselves, to trust their bodies, to care for their bodies, and to not wait to love their life, to love it now.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Many thanks to Jetsy for taking the time to share her story. Here are five key takeaways from the episode. Number one, the mindset difference between surviving and thriving. The real shift in perspective doesn't happen after treatment ends, but in how a person redefines their relationship with their body and identity post-diagnosis. Reframing the narrative from illness to resilience enables a survivor to reclaim agency and move forward with purpose beyond just getting through. Number two, the power of original self-identity in adversity. During times of crisis, reconnecting with your core self beyond roles like mother or patient creates a foundation for emotional resilience. When you see yourself as more than your circumstances, you unlock internal strength that sustains you through hardship. Number three, the role of faith and spirituality as a healing tool. Spiritual practices such as prayer or meditation do not replace medical treatment, but actively contribute to emotional and psychological resilience. Belief systems can serve as a bridge to hope and peace, significantly influencing recovery and mental health. Number four, giving oneself grace in the face of guilt and perfectionism. Women often feel guilty for needing help or taking time for themselves during crisis. Yet self-compassion is essential for sustained well-being. Redirecting energy from self-criticism to self-care improves overall resilience and capacity to support others. Number five, the importance of authentic connection over superficial support. Support outside formal systems, be it family, friends, or community, becomes deeply impactful when rooted in genuine presence and love. Authentic support sustains mental health because it affirms your worth and reduces feelings of isolation. Be sure to check the show notes on how you can follow Jetsy on her journey.

SPEAKER_00 48:03

Thank you for listening to Mom Life. Please share with another beautiful mom and follow so you never miss an episode. Always remember, you are the perfect mom for your baby. You are worthy, and you are enough.