Veronica’s Story
Veronica never imagined that her cancer journey would begin with months of unanswered questions.
For more than a year, she sought medical help as symptoms persisted, visiting emergency rooms and urgent care centers in search of answers. When she was finally diagnosed with ER-positive, HER2-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, the cancer had already progressed to Stage 4.
"I was completely speechless," she recalls.
The diagnosis changed everything.
Living with metastatic breast cancer means living with uncertainty every day. It means navigating treatments, managing side effects, and facing challenges that most people never have to consider. It has also meant grieving the loss of the life she once imagined, including the career she loved and the sense of normalcy she once knew.
Yet Veronica refuses to let cancer define her life.
Instead, she has chosen to focus on what remains possible.
Supported by her wife, family, and a close-knit cancer community, she continues to pursue the things that bring her joy—walking along the beach, creating art, cooking, practicing yoga, and building meaningful connections with others.
"I still have so much I want to do, so much I want to see," she says.
That determination is what keeps her moving forward.
Veronica first discovered Be Well through North County Cancer Fitness and decided to try a class even though she felt nervous walking through the door.
"It was exciting, fun, and a little intimidating," she says. "But I showed up anyway."
That decision opened the door to a supportive community that has become an important part of her life. Through classes, friendships, and her first Be Well retreat, she found a space where she felt supported, empowered, and encouraged to keep going.
What stands out most to Veronica is a lesson she continues to learn again and again: even on the days she doesn't feel like showing up, she is always glad she did.
"The people, the comfort, the connection—it always reminds me that showing up is worth it."
Today, Veronica doesn't simply define herself as a survivor.
She sees herself as a thriver.
For her, thriving means living with metastatic breast cancer while continuing to choose joy, purpose, and presence. It means showing up for the people she loves, embracing each day, and continuing to live fully despite uncertainty.
And if she had to define survivorship in just two words?
"Keep going."
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