A woman in Atlanta is asking for help after she learned that she has breast cancer just a few short months after her mother was diagnosed, WSB-TV reports.
Chasity Nolton was shocked to learn that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer several months ago. Another family member died from the disease a year earlier, so Nolton decided she should have a mammogram in February and was surprised to learn she also had the disease.
“A couple of months ago, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram. The breast cancer fight is all too familiar as we recently loss a family member less than a year ago to this agonizing disease,” she wrote.
Nolton went on to say that she began thinking about how she could be proactive about her own health and decided to get a mammogram.
“After finding out about my mother’s diagnosis, I immediately went into overdrive thinking about how I would have to be there every step of the way to support her in this journey,” she wrote. “I decided to be proactive and get checked, understanding that breast cancer now runs in my family. I immediately scheduled a mammogram and on February 24, I got the phone call informing me that I too have breast cancer.”
Nolton said she dreaded telling her mother that she was also diagnosed with the disease because she needed to be her strength as she went through treatment. “Never did I imagine that I would be fighting my own battle. I was shaken to my core knowing I would have to deliver this news to her.”
Nolton also noted that she was worried about how she would support her mother as she was also going through her own cancer battle and is asking the community for help. Nolton works part-time and also runs her own valet company, but she will need surgery for her treatment plan and time to recover.
“I have contemplated and prayed about using this platform to ask others for help because I take pride in handling things on my own,” she wrote. “As I embark on this journey with myself and my mother, I realize how important it is to spread awareness as well as seek help from a community that I am well connected with and to.”
“The reality is I cannot do this on my own. There is no way I can help support my mom in the way I envisioned when we both will be doing treatment at the same time, ” she added.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will develop breast cancer. Black women are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women nationwide, even though Black women have a 4 percent lower incidence rate for breast cancer. While breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer in the U.S. for women, it’s the leading cause of cancer death for Black and Hispanic women.
Nolton has set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses as she and her mother face their health challenges together.
