Sister Survivor Spotlight: CeeCee McGriff: From Surviving to Living

This Is My Story

CeeCee McGriff

I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in my late 30s. I was a single mother of two children,

and more than anything, I was desperate to live.

So, I went into survival mode.

For me, survival meant putting my head down and facing the battle in front of me. No questions asked. No time to fall apart. I convinced myself that being strong meant pretending to be brave,even when I was scared. I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I made it through, and life moved forward.

More than 10 years later, my life looked very different. I had moved to a new state, I was

working two jobs, and just months earlier, I had buried my mother. Then came a routine mammogram—one that I almost postponed.

That mammogram revealed that the cancer had returned, this time in my other breast. I made the decision to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction, followed by more chemotherapy and radiation. But this time was different.

Pretending to be strong wasn't working anymore.

I kept calling my doctor, complaining about everything I was feeling, until one day she finally

said to me, “There is nothing wrong with you. You’re depressed.”

A social worker reached out to me, and after talking with her, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. For the first time, I didn't have to pretend that I was okay. I didn't have to carry everything by myself. I was prescribed medication and began getting the support I needed. That experience taught me something that changed my life:

I didn't have to merely survive. I could Survive AND Live.

That's why I created this community.

I want women to know that strength doesn't mean pretending you're alright when you're not. You are allowed to be scared. You are allowed to struggle. You are allowed to ask for help.

Most importantly, I want every woman facing this disease to know that she is not alone.

There is a community of sisters who understand this journey. Sisters who will stand beside you, encourage you, listen to you and remind you that you don't have to carry it all by yourself.

We can recover out loud.

We can tell our stories.

We can support the sister coming behind us.

And we can do more than survive.

We can Survive AND Live.