HOUSTON — Lyndsay Levingston was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2019.
But one thing Levingston wants you to know is that she didn't let breast cancer take her down, rather she took over breast cancer.
Levingston was just 37 years old when she was diagnosed.
"My journey began when I felt a lump in my right breast, during a self-exam," Levingston said
Tests determined that the lump was indeed cancerous and that day, Levingston's life came to a screeching halt.
"I was working in media in New York City, hustling bustling grinding and it was almost like God saying slow down."
After receiving the news, the Houston native refocused her attention to her health and came home for treatment. It was determined that she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, which is the most aggressive form of breast cancer.
Levingston had no time to process the sting of her new reality. And like many women, she suddenly had another important issue to tackle.
"Of course I desire to be a mother so I had to undergo fertility preservation before I even started treatment," Levingston said. "We had to get some eggs out and freeze them before I could even start chemotherapy."
After learning she also carried the BRCA-1 gene mutation, which runs in her family, Levingston began 15 rounds of chemotherapy and a bi-lateral mastectomy with breast reconstruction.
The aggressive treatment plan took a physical and mental toll.
"It was one thing to lose my hair from chemotherapy, but it was another thing to lose my breasts because they make me feel like a woman," she said.
Through her faith and with her mother, Ivy, by her side, Levingston's journey transformed from a cancer patient to a cancer survivor.
"I didn’t want breast cancer to take over my life, but rather I was approaching it with the mindset that I would take over breast cancer," Levingston said.
She has now been in remission for almost a year and a half and is in the process of helping other women with her new platform, “Survive-HER."
"My mission is to inspire, inform and empower women around breast cancer awareness and wellness."
You can connect with Lyndsay Levingston via her Instagram.