Brittany Beitel will tell you she never imagined she would have breast cancer.
She’s younger than 30 and has no family history of it but in 2014, she found a lump in her breast while she while she was showering.
In fact, she says she “didn't really think anything of it, just let it go for a couple of weeks."
Finally Beitel’s doctor sent her to a specialist where she was diagnosed with stage two invasive ductal carcinoma.
“I was initially just shocked and I remember sitting right here and I remember the doctor calling and my mom was here and my mom just kind of took over into mom mode,” she said.
Beitel said after the initial shock-- and tears-- she and her family committed to a course in their story: focusing on her treatment and survival.
"I had first a left mastectomy which was the cancer side and then eight rounds of chemo every other week so 16 weeks of chemo every other week so 16 weeks of chemo, thirty radiations and then I had a prophylactic right mastectomy and reconstruction," she said.
These days she’s doing hormone therapy because her cancer was hormone driven.
Beitel is one of the five women selected to be honorary co-chairs of the 24th Komen Columbus Race for the Cure. All of them were diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 30.
Beitel said she’s committed to urging her peers to advocate for their health.
“None of us had family history we’re all young and all our doctors didn’t think we’d have breast cancer,” she said. “It was just kind of all against the odds so we’re really out there to advocate to young women to do their self-breast exams because you don’t get mammograms when you’re our age.”
In addition to working with Komen, Beitel is also getting married in June. She and Ben Corbitt were dating when she was diagnosed.
He’s been by her side from the start and calls the journey challenging.
“Take the good with the bad. If you’re going to be there, be there for them because they’re going through a lot,” he said.
Corbitt proposed right before Brittany's first surgery. She thought they were going for ice cream.
“We went and pulled up to this park in Grove City and there was like a sea of people in pink I'm thinking this ice cream place is packed," Beitel said.
Soon after, Ben was on bended knee, wearing a pink shirt and tie, in front of their family and closest friends proposing. The moment now included on the list of one of most inspirational marriage proposals.
Beitel cherishes the moment and is ahead at life with a new view that includes using her two year journey of survivorship to inspire others in the fight.
"I hope to keep spreading the word and helping other women who go through this," she said.