Desirre Escobedo

I am 2 of 16 treatments into chemotherapy for Stage 2 breast cancer.

Those words still feel strange to say out loud, and I wonder if that part ever goes away.

Right now, I get about 4 rough days each cycle. Even for me, and what I know I’m capable of, they aren’t thaaaaaaat bad. But they definitely suck.

I’m a math girl, so naturally I did the math.

That means life is a little sh*tty about 28% of the time.

The other 72%?

I wake up, get dressed, go to work, make plans, laugh with my friends, love my family, chase my goals, and live a pretty normal life.

I know treatment is cumulative. I know there may come a point where this gets harder. But I’m as ready as I can be.

People keep telling me to give myself grace. I know they mean well.

But to someone wired like me, “give yourself grace” sometimes sounds a lot like “let yourself fall down.”

And I just can’t do that.

So for now, I focus on forward movement.

One day at a time.
One decision at a time.
One treatment at a time.

Just keep moving.

I’m not ignoring what’s happening.

I know exactly what’s happening & I’m determined to meet it head on.

It’s strange looking back at these photos. They feel like they belong to another lifetime.

In many ways, I’m an entirely different person. In many ways, I’m exactly the same.

I heard cancer does that to a person.

The one thing I’ll always hold onto is this: making life fun… even in the hard seasons. Especially in the hard seasons.

When asked if she could schedule a sweet little moment with our favorite photographer & friend, I uncomfortably said yes.

Uncomfortable because I’m usually the person who gets to do these things for others. I love showing up for people in hard seasons. I love being the support system.

Now… somehow, I’m the person being loved on like that.

I think part of me still quietly tries to ignore what’s happening. To pretend life is just carrying on normally. But then moments like this force me to stop and realize it’s real.

And honestly? I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so much love in one space before.

My very best friend planned something so thoughtful and beautiful, and every single person who showed up made me feel held in a way I can’t fully explain.

I did cry for approximately 2.5 seconds before immediately laughing because… what even is happening to me lately.

Anyways, here’s a little inside peek at what it feels like to be deeply loved.

Thank you Dre, Cam. and everyone who wrapped their arms around me through this. I’ll never forget it.

W I L L O W ✨

This girl is so full of life.

Just grateful to be her mom. Xo