Kelly Traiteur – MBC October Spotlight

Name… Kelly Traiteur

City… Waterloo

I live with my… Husband Jimmy and 6 year old twin boys Ryan & Mason

I was originally diagnosed with… De novo Stage IV Breast Cancer

In… March 2014

At the age of… 32

Since my METS diagnosis, my life has been… Filled with Dr. Appointments, mixed emotions and uncertainties about my future. I am one of the few lucky ones to have responded well to treatment resulting in a NED or NEAD (No evidence of disease) status. So for the most part I live a pretty normal life right now.

The hardest part of being metastatic is… Most definitely the thought of possibly not seeing my kids grow up and how me not being here will affect them. For now I am very grateful to be active with my family and to just be a normal mom and wife. But the reality is….even though my treatment plan is working now….at some point it will stop. That is a very hard thought to live with day in and day out.

My biggest fear is… That my children will grow up without me being there for all of their most precious and important life events.

My hope is that… at the very least we are able to redirect our main focus on research for Metastatic Cancer and that we are able to treat this as a manageable disease if not find a cure. Because the fact is….everyone knows that pink ribbons represent breast cancer but sadly most people do not know what Metastatic Breast Cancer even is. That is a HUGE problem!

I encourage others to… Ask questions, KNOW where your donations are going, educate yourself on the reality of Breast Cancer. Your money should be going to research…period. Because ….men and women are still dying EVERYDAY and unless we can figure out a way to stop it from metastasizing then this will continue to happen.

If I could, I would… Change the dynamics of our healthcare system and put a stop to some of the larger organizations that I believe have lost sight of what the true purpose is….which is to find a cure for cancer.

What matters most to me is… What I think every mother wants….that my children know that I love them more than anything and that I want nothing more than for them to grow up to be happy, healthy, strong yet softhearted adults.

The biggest lesson (personally), in all of this, has been… Most definitely the overwhelming appreciation I have for life now. I am obsessively grateful to be alive.

I want my legacy to be… This is not about you….it’s about making your mark in this world and enriching someone else’s life. If everyone thought a bit more for others this world would truly be a better place. What have you done for someone else lately that was strictly out of the kindness of your heart? If your answer is nothing then go do that.