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At just 33 years old, Emily Williams is already a survivor.

“I’m pretty young for this, I think,” she said.

Emily and her husband John Williams moved to Colorado Springs three years ago with their four children when the Army stationed him at Fort Carson.

She first felt a lump in her breast in September 2013, while her husband was deployed. At first she ignored it, but felt the lump again in December, only larger the second time. With encouragement from her husband, she went to see a doctor.

“I freaked out because my mom had been diagnosed almost a year before I was,” she said. “But, I went to the doctor and within a week I had my mammogram and an ultrasound.”

Her mother was 70 years old when she was diagnosed, but because it was hormonal, doctors knew the cancer was not genetic.

“My mother having cancer sucked because I was not ready for that.” Emily said. “I was almost thankful because I had educated myself so much with her cancer that with mine, I could understand the doctors.”

Emily was sent for a stereotactic biopsy on a Tuesday in January and received her results the following Thursday. She was 2B when she was diagnosed ERPR-, HER2+ breast cancer. Her husband was supposed to deploy again, but because of flight errors ended up staying in Colorado, and was able to be with Emily when she was diagnosed. When the Army found out, they let him stay in Colorado Springs.

“My doctor gave me a choice, but didn’t want me to have a lumpectomy because I am HER2+, one of the most aggressive and recurring types; and because my lump was so big,” Emily said.

She opted for bilateral mastectomy and a sentinel node biopsy because the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. She ended up in chemotherapy and radiation.

“I started chemo in February 2014, and was done on June 30. I had four weeks off and then started radiation, which I finished two weeks ago,” she said. “I still have Herceptin, and I do that until February, 2015, every three months. In about two months I’ll go in for my final implants.”

Emily is seen by Dr. Timothy Murphy at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center and will continue to follow up with Dr. Alan Monroe at Penrose Cancer Center every three months for the first three years of her journey, until she reaches her five-year mark.

“Dr. Monroe at the Penrose Cancer Center was helpful in decision making. Sometimes that is hard and he gave me advice that made the decisions easier,” Emily said. “The nurses were comforting because I was a mess my first day. I was overwhelmed and they helped calm me down.”

Penrose Cancer Center is part of the Centura Health Cancer Network, delivering advanced, integrated cancer care across Colorado and western Kansas.

Emily is grateful for the help she has received and now volunteers with Susan G. Komen Southeastern Colorado and Sense of Security, an organization based in Denver that provides relief from financial hardship for Colorado breast cancer patients.

John and Emily Williams. Courtesy of Photography by Jennifer Lambson

The Williams family. Courtesy of Photography by Jennifer Lambson