Ten years ago, Lynn Weaver was working in a busy corporate office in the San Francisco Bay Area. She had just celebrated her fiftieth birthday with a huge party, and had spent the weekend hiking. There was really no reason to feel concerned about her upcoming biopsy. Since her early thirties, she had dealt with fibrocystic breasts, and she had been through biopsies before. They were all benign. So, Lynn was shocked when the results came back positive for breast cancer.

“Before breast cancer, I was aware of my risk, and I was proactive about my healthcare,” explains Lynn. “Now, that’s more important than ever—I do regular self exams, see my doctor annually, and get a yearly mammogram.” As a result, she had felt the lump during a routine self exam, and within a matter of weeks she was in treatment.

“There was no cancer in my family and I was a healthy, happy person,” Lynn recalls. So she faced her diagnosis head on and advocated for herself throughout the treatment process. She also stayed active, even if it was just a short walk with her dog. “Being active—even in small ways—was really important to me and helped me get through the whole process,” she added.

When the treatment was complete and Lynn was in recovery, she decided it was time to make some changes. “Before I was diagnosed, I had been considering moving out of the Bay area,” Lynn says. “After getting through the treatment, I was really ready for a much bigger change. I started looking all over and eventually chose Livingston as my new home.”

“Now, I am more mindful about community,” Lynn adds. “I give a lot more of my time to causes that are important to me. And most importantly, I just don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.”

“This experience is life changing. It is very different for every woman who goes through it, so I hate to give advice,” says Lynn. “I will say it’s important to be your own advocate and not be intimidated when dealing with your healthcare. Whether it’s your everyday preventive care or you are diagnosed with an illness, be proactive.”