Amanda Niello may look like a confident California girl turned New Yorker now, but her past truly made her the woman she is today.
She first discovered a lump in her breast but didn't think much of it — nor did she want to make a big deal out of it. Then, her boyfriend urged her to go get the lump checked out by a doctor.
She was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, a disease that would soon alter her appearance, relationships, and view of herself.
That was two years ago. Now, Amanda is sharing a raw photo from the double mastectomy she had during her battle against breast cancer. As a survivor, she wants to show everyone what it looks like from the inside and explain why she's still fearful about relapsing.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Amanda's fight against breast cancer and how she's coping with her fear of its return!
Thumbnail Photo: Instagram / aeniello
[H/T: Daily Mail]
This is Amanda Niello. Not only is she a proud daughter and sister, but she is also a very vocal breast cancer survivor.
Two years ago, Amanda was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The discovery was only made after her boyfriend begged her to get a lump she'd found in her breast checked out.
Losing her hair wasn't the only major change to Amanda's appearance once she began chemotherapy and started fighting the deadly disease.
On October 14, 2017, Amanda shared this photo of herself from two years ago.
It was taken right after she had a double mastectomy. The raw photo shows her bandages, fluids, and tubes on full display.
By posting this photo on Instagram, Amanda opened the door for an entirely new conversation about what happened during her own life-changing battle.
In her post, she explains:
"Two years ago today, I had both my boobies removed due to a diagnosis of Stage II breast cancer. Even though I have my hair back and my tots look pretty good after reconstruction if I do say so myself, I will never be able to shake the feeling of fear that the thing that tried to kill me will return."
Although she is a survivor, she does have a fear in the back of her mind that one day her cancer will return. For the time being, she is focusing on living her life to the fullest.
The 31-year-old continues, "I am so thankful for the people in my life that have stuck by my side, but I still mourn the relationships I lost with people who couldn't deal with my disease."
Not only did her appearance change — so did her relationships with friends and family. Now, she feels more secure than ever with the people in her life.
Finally, she tells women to, "Feel yourself up today, go get a check-up, talk to your tribe about health and wellness, dance, run, jump around, and keep living, no matter how hard it might be sometimes."
During her treatments, Amanda even started a blog called Thanks, I Have Cancer. There, she shares all of her life changes and struggles while still remaining positive.
Surely her outspokenness is helping millions of women out there who are fighting breast cancer, too.
Please SHARE if you're glad Amanda is so open about her fight and working to help other women going through situations similar to hers!
