Taylor olson

I had the pleasure of crossing paths with the beautiful Taylor Olson in a local group for chickens! Shortly after we connected, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not only is she a wife and mama, she is truly a fighter and such an inspiration. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we are blessed to share her story: ⬇️

Hello! My name is Taylor, and I’m originally from the Midwest, but was brought down to the Gulf Coast through the Air Force. I’m Active Duty, and have been in for almost 10 years. My sweet family and I moved down here about 2 years ago and we continue to thrive down here! My husband, Colin, and I have three little ones. We have a 6,4, and 3 year old, as well as 3 kitties and a German Shepherd!

Moving to Mississippi was super exciting for us! Once we got our orders, we automatically started searching for a home and making sure everything was ready for our big move. After only about 2 months of being moved in down here, I got a call from my mom. She had told me that her yearly mammogram showed a spot that looked suspicious. She was only 45 at the time, so they didn’t seem too concerned. While she was figuring all of this out, I got plugged into an amazing church, First Baptist Gulfport, started learning the area, and started some playdates with our amazing realtor, Lana, who was also a military family.

About 2 weeks later, my mom told me the news that she got the results that her tumor was indeed cancer. Tripple Negative Breast Cancer. Since she had all the characteristics of what’s called the BRCA mutation, they sent that in for testing as well. BRCA 1 or 2 is a mutation on the BRCA gene that a person is born with, that is passed down by their parent(s). Her test results came back positive, which meant that I now needed to be tested. I took the quickest actions that I could to get into a genetic counselor to be tested. I tested positive for BRCA1 right after Christmas, and was seen by my future oncologist in January. She wanted to do an exam and order a MRI before sending me to the breast surgeon. When you have the BRCA mutation, your chances of getting breast cancer in the future is much higher than someone who does not carry the mutation. My oncologist, Dr. Taylor, did an exam and didnt feel anything, so I went into my MRI with zero worries. I still remember the MyChart message with my results.

About an hour after my scan, I found out there was a 3cm mass in my right breast, as well as a couple enlarged lymph nodes. I was honestly shocked and so scared. I remember sending the message to my mom and she replied back “this was not supposed to be like this.” Her hope was that her finding out early, because she was only stage one, that it would prevent me from getting it if I took the actions before hand. I had to have biopsies, scans, and many appointments in a very short timeframe. I found out that I was Stage 3 Triple Negative Invasive Carcinoma.

It is a very fast spreading cancer and very aggressive, so they had to treat it aggressively. I had to do 6 months of Chemotherapy, 4 different Chemo drugs, 1 year of Immunotherapy, 5 weeks of Radiation, and I’m now up to 4 major surgeries.

During my fight, I still had to be a momma, to at the time 3 kids under 4. While also worrying about my own momma! Throughout my battle, I had to really rely on other moms to help me in so many ways.

My friend Lana and her husband Jake would watch our children during my surgeries, sometimes even late into the night. My friend Heather would also help pick up my son from school when our appointments in New Orleans were later than usual.

I had so many wonderful moms from church reach out and bring me meals, come watch the kids while I slept off the chemo effects, as well as include me in their weekly Bible studies. This led to me getting closer to the Lord and getting baptized!

I was also led to a wonderful person, Mady, through my mom back home, who is also a momma of a little one, that was diagnosed with the SAME EXACT type of cancer as me. Her mom is also battling Ovarian cancer, caused by the BRCA1 gene. We were able to message each other and support each other through the whole process. She was only 2 weeks behind me in treatment the whole time and it meant the world to me that I had someone who I could cry with, relate to, and share my feelings with, that completely understood what I was going through. I finally got to meet her & her mom this summer, and her little girl as well!

Although my cancer battle was long, as of right now, I am in remission!

When I look back, I am so proud of myself for continuing to fight for my husband and children. There were days that I would struggle with side effects…days I couldn’t leave the bathroom because I was throwing up so much…days I slept half the day while my kids were in daycare so that I had the energy to pick them up at the end of the day so that my husband could still provide for our family…days of being sad that I lost all my hair and looked super swollen…days I looked like an alien in my own body. There were days my kids would eat cereal for dinner because I couldn’t fathom smells of cooking food.

But through those days, I had constant support from my group of mommas, work friends, and church community! My kids were so little they didn’t quite understand what cancer was, but we made it through.

When we asked Taylor for a piece of advice to share with ya’ll, here is what she said:

My advice to any momma, is to NEVER give up! Even when you are going through some of the toughest trials of your life, reach out to others. People really do want to help. I was never one to ask for help. But the last couple years really proved that it takes a village to raise a family. Being a military family doesn’t offer you the built in family many have, so sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and try to make life long friends.

And of course, take care of yourself! If you need a mom day, take it. Go to the gym, or take a walk on the beach, make a meal, or create a craft with the kids. Go do your annual check ups. They are so important! Do self exams! You are never too young to know your own body and what feels right or wrong. I was 29 when I was diagnosed. No one even knew breast cancer ran in my family, and if it wasn’t for my mom taking care of herself, I may not even be here right now.

But most of all, always remember YOU are a good momma!