The first sign something was wrong: Bleeding 3 months before I was diagnosed.

Why I wasn’t that worried: I had been to the gynecologist a year prior, I was only 24, and I had just come off the Depo shot. So I thought I was just having a really bad period!

Where I first learned something was wrong: I visited my local Planned Parenthood and learned that I had a tumor in my cervix that was causing the bleeding.

When my life changed: July 20, 2009

My treatment: Laparoscopic surgery to move my ovaries out of the radiation field. Then, I had 6 weeks of Cisplatin chemo with daily pelvic radiation for 8 weeks, followed by a hysterectomy.

A big blow to my recovery: I got the news that my ovaries had shut down and I was in full-blown menopause at age 24. My dream of having my own biological children was gone.

Love after cancer: Dating in general is difficult. But after cancer, it can feel like it will be impossible to find someone – deciding when is the right time to bring it up, explaining you cannot have children, bringing them into the roller coaster of emotions you still deal with and the list could go on. The day I met the man of my dreams, I decided that I would tell him that night. I would give him the choice if he wanted to be a part of the journey from the first day, rather then letting our emotions or feelings for each other make it seem like it was something he could bear for the rest of his life.

I am honestly beyond happy to say that even after that night and the ups and downs we have conquered together, he asked me in front of my friends and family at my 30th birthday party to spend the rest of my life with him!

Read my sister Mercedes’ story.