Meet Olivia “LIbby” Ayala

Cancer has no bias. It doesn’t care that you’re somebody’s mommy; that you’re growing life inside you. It doesn’t matter what you planned or where you are in life.

As a 32-year-old mom of six beautiful young daughters—only two weeks postpartum and two weeks freshly moved into our first home. Getting diagnosed with stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer) was like having life rip the ground from right under me. All I could think about was how much I had to live for and how my husband and kids needed me. How was I supposed to balance a newborn and cancer treatments? Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy, but I’ve done it with the help of God, my love Luis, my wonderful children, my family, my friends, and the community. Battling cancer is not easy, but fighting to live for the people you love is. Cancer has taken a lot from me, but it has also shown me in a new light how precious life is. I am thankful for how close I’ve gotten to my loved ones. I will forever be grateful for the love and compassion of those who helped me through this time. Thank you to my healthcare team. You really saved my life.

I have now completed six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy treatments. At the beginning of my diagnosis, my tumor size was stage four, more than half the size of my breast. My doctor explained to me that the chemotherapy could either remove the entire tumor or at least shrink it. Hearing this, I prepared myself for it just to shrink. The tumor was just so massive to me that I didn’t think that it would truly be completely gone. So, as part of my treatment, I also had a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. To my surprise and delight, thank The Good Lord, after it was all said and done, all my MRI scans came back CLEAR AND CANCER FREE!! I’m now starting my radiation journey, which should last about six weeks. After this, I’ll get infusions with my targeted drugs because I was HER2-positive. The infusions will be once a month for the rest of the year, but I did it. I survived and endured. I beat cancer!!!