Catrina Marcell, Breast Cancer Advocate
My name is Catrina Crutcher, I am 38 years of age. I was diagnosed on June 15, 2021, at age 37 with Triple Negative Breast Cancer Stage IIIB. My diagnosis came as a complete shock for me because honestly, I never thought it would/could happen to me (cancer). I know many of us have that thought “it can’t happen to me”, but when the unexpected happens it can bring you learn in life “no one is excluded from any curve ball life my toss. Before my diagnose, I’ve always taken my health serious. By adequately tracking and maintaining healthy eating habits, scheduling annual appointments, research health factors of proper vitamin supplements, etc. My health has been very important part of my lifestyle since the age of 18. This was the time; I became very interested in fitness. A few years down the line, I became a certified personal trainer to continue to grow to help other and self. In 2019, I became a vegetarian and incorporated more plant-based recipes into my diet along with exercising 5 time a week, limiting alcohol, no smoking. For me it has been beneficial to incorporate a healthy lifestyle, but learning my lifestyle had no action to be obtain this disease that this disease came by unknown family history. With no family discussions of health issues within where I come from this is how I was able to miss an extra component in my health to eliminate this disease.
