Danielle Joseph
"She Wrote 'This too Shall Pass' - She Was Right"
Danille Joseph, 35, is closely acquainted with breast cancer - her family has a long history with the disease. When she felt "something strange" during her regular self-examination in April 2016, Joseph knew without being told what it was.
For an entire weekend, Joseph cried, prayed and tried to embrace the possibility of being the sixth woman in her family with breast cancer. She thought about her three children, Lexi, Jaheem and Olivia. She also remembered her mother beating cancer, and gaining strength and hope from her mom's battle, Joseph decided she was not going to die and leave her kids.
That following Monday, Joseph broke the news to her mother, who, through tears, directed her to the Lillian S. Wells Women's Center at Broward Health Medical Center.
Tests confirmed stage III breast cancer. A few weeks later Joseph underwent a lumpectomy at Broward Health Medical Center, followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
"The Lillian S. Wells Women's Center is the perfect place to go," Joseph said. "I got VIP treatment. I cannot stress enough the excellence of the care I received."
Today, she is cancer free.
Looking back, the support she received from her family and the staff at the Lillian S. Wells Center was pivotal in her recovery.
"I never knew I was so loved before I had cancer. My daughter, Lexi, learned to drive and cook to give me support," Joseph said, adding that, "I wanted to be strong and not cry in front of everyone, but when I came to the Center, I would always have a shoulder to cry on."
Her advice to other women facing cancer is to remember that "your attitude determines your altitude," she said. "During my worst moment my daughter wrote 'this too shall pass' on a note. And you know what, she was right."