27-Year-Old Mom of 4 Shares Joyous News: She Beat the Same Cancer That Killed Her Mother
When the odds are against you, it may seem as if nothing is for you. But a 27-year-old mother of four small children is proving that the odds had better not mess with her.
Tempestt Olivia Ventura lives in Marshall, Texas. It seems very appropriate this strong woman would have a strong name like Tempestt.
“Tempest” means a “violent storm,” an “uproar” or a “tumult.” If you go up against a tempest, be prepared for the fight of your life.
And that’s exactly what this Tempestt did. She fought for her life when it seemed her chances were all too slim.
In 2017, at the age of 26, Ventura felt a lump in her breast. Concerned after the lump started to grow, Ventura consulted her doctor.
“My mom passed away from breast cancer, so I was concerned but tried to explain it away to different possibilities besides breast cancer,” she told The Marshall News Messenger.
Because of her young age, doctors felt it couldn’t possibly be cancer. Ventura also lacked insurance, which complicated things even more.
When she finally visited the emergency room, an ultrasound led a doctor to refer her to a general surgeon. That surgeon removed the “fibrous tissue” but still didn’t believe it was cancer.
Unfortunately, the surgeon was wrong. Once the test results on the removed tissue came back, Ventura’s worst fear was confirmed.
“He told me it was cancer and I just went blank,” she told The Marshall News Messenger. “I started calling all of my family, my friends.”
Some of those friends immediately joined her at the surgeon’s office. It was in that moment of realization and grief that this woman prepared for battle.
“I went into war mode and asked the surgeon, ‘How do we fix this?’” she said. What came next was a whirlwind.
But Tempestt could handle it. She got a second opinion. She built a tribe around her. Ventura even connected with Crista McCracken, one of her old customers from Chili’s who was also fighting breast cancer.
That friendship led Ventura to Willis Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, where her treatment included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.
A diagnosis and intense treatment plan such as this would wear anyone down. This woman was not even 30 years old and facing Stage 3 Infiltrating Duct Carcinoma.
But Ventura stayed strong with friends and faith on her side. When sadness and defeat threatened to take over, she picked herself back up again.
She even dressed up for chemo. “I’m a makeup artist so I dressed up like I was going to a movie premiere so I could feel better and more confident,” Ventura told The Marshall News Messenger. “It was my war paint.”
After all of the treatments and surgeries, this war paint-wearing mama claimed remission from the disease that took her own mama.
“This whole process reminded me of who I am, my strength, and my motivation in life is my children,” she shared.
What an amazing woman with an awesome support system behind her. Ventura’s story is encouraging to anyone facing a similar diagnosis during October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
We hope she shares many happy years ahead with her family, friends, and children. No doubt her faith during her fight has been an inspiration to them all.
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