This Mother’s Day marks a milestone for me and my baby—my first (and so far only) child just turned one year old, and I have continued exclusively breastfeeding him for one whole year, in spite of the two fibromas in my right breast. 

For this I have to thank my own mother, the most optimistic breast cancer survivor I’ve ever known, for showing me how to face the disease that can fright many women.

I still remember that day when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, the following surgery, the chemotherapy, and all those sleepless nights. I especially remember what she told me about losing one breast, “it doesn’t interfere with my rule as a woman nor a mother.” 

Because of her example, I know exactly what to do when my doctor found a suspected cancer in my right breast: One, stay calm. Two, continue to breastfeed. 

My mother and I at my rehearsal dinner back in 2008. On her left chest is a chemo port scar.​