POQUOSON, Va. — 2020 changed the world with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the year brought on even more change for Melissa "Missy" Backus.
"I got diagnosed [with breast cancer] in March of 2020," Backus said. "It was ER-PR-positive, HER2-negative."
Backus said she was just 35 years old when her OB/GYN found her breast cancer during a routine wellness check. She then had to navigate treatment amid pandemic restrictions.
"We were just starting to take extra precautions with my job because of COVID," Backus said. "I was able to have my husband present when I had my surgery April 1st. But it seemed like after that, it was all me on my doctor's appointments."
After completing her treatment plan, Backus said she realized her breast cancer journey was far from over.
"When you're going through treatment, everything's pretty much lined up for you," Backus said. "But, you ring the bell at the end, and then then what? The survivorship skills, nobody teaches you that."
While she had very supportive family and friends, Backus said she wanted to connect with other survivors around her age.
"Being a young breast cancer [survivor], dealing with the relationship issues, the parenting...it's really important to find somebody to talk to that really gets what you're going through," Backus said.
That's when Backus found Here for the Girls, a Williamsburg nonprofit improving the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer under age 51.
"A lymphedema therapist was the one that first mentioned Here for the Girls," Backus said. "They've really given me, I guess, like, motivation to find the power within myself."
After discovering her own strength, Backus said she's stepping out of her comfort zone. She's hoping others learn to do the same.
"I was a mother-baby nurse... I thought that was my passion," Backus said. She had been in that position for 14 years.
"My nurses, doctors, all my treatment providers... they were like, 'Oh, could you ever do oncology?' I was like, 'Mmm mmm, mmm mmm,'" Backus said. "But then at the end... I got a little bit of a calling, like, I could maybe do something."
Backus said she took a leap of faith, applied for a position as a cancer infusion nurse, and got the job. It was her first career shift in more than a decade.
"I don't like change, but I'm trying to make changes, and changes for the good," Backus said. "Because I certainly didn't think I could do all I've done in the last three years. And here I go, doing a little bit more."
Backus is featured in the Here for the Girls 2023 calendar and guide. This year's theme is 'In Her Own Words' -- survivors telling their stories their way and sharing powerful words of advice.
Funds raised by calendar ambassadors support the group.
Click here to learn more about becoming a sponsor or making a donation.