BATON ROUGE —  In a sobering reminder of medical unpredictability, Kodi Wilson received news from doctors that shook her. About ten weeks after receiving clear results from a routine mammogram, Wilson discovered a lump in her right breast. She got it checked, and doctors told her she had cancer. It was the start of a recovery journey she hoped would never come, especially since she thought she did everything she could to stave off breast cancer.

With a family history of breast cancer, Wilson made breast health a priority by changing her diet, staying active and getting regular mammograms. Doctors found two areas in her right breast that needed to be biopsied, and it was cancer.

"I just felt disappointed because I had really done a lot of work on myself and my health to hopefully avoid having to face breast cancer. I mean, I even had a breast reduction done less than 10 years ago to reduce the amount of tissue we were looking at," Wilson said.

Wilson got a double mastectomy and after surgery, pathology revealed two additional tumors. Her cancer was stage 2-A.

"It could have easily been Stage 4 or beyond had I waited. And so, you know, my advice is if you find something that feels different or off, go get it checked out. Don't wait," Wilson said.

"4 rounds of what they call 'Red Devil' AC chemo, followed by 12 weeks of Taxol. So it was 5 months of IV chemotherapy, with 8 hours of treatment on treatment days. There are about 14 typical symptoms. I had all of those, plus an additional 50-ish symptoms through the first few weeks of treatment," Wilson said.

Wilson kept her sense of humor and talked about cold capping treatment to prevent permanent baldness after chemotherapy.

"I joke and say I saved 14 hairs, but, you know, I look like Gollum, I think, from Lord of the Rings or the Crypt Keeper. You know, that's kind of the hair I have left," Wilson said.

Wilson said her medical team at Baton Rouge General and beyond was amazing.

"Everyone has treated me like Kodi, not patient 722," Wilson said.

For a while, Wilson was overwhelmed with grief.

"When I was diagnosed, I hadn't even reached the two-year mark of losing my son. He was 17 and a half. Seven weeks after he passed, my husband suffered a widowmaker heart attack. He's lucky to be here," Wilson said. "I grasped onto anger for a little bit and when I would see something pink out there, it ticked me off. I was like, 'Keep pink away.'"

She has now embraced pink and understands why it is so important.

"Sometimes letting other people help you is a way to love them back, because they're trying to show you that they care," Wilson said.

The support that meant the most often came in ordinary moments, including meals, cards, help with her daughter, someone doing laundry, sweeping the floor or cleaning the bathroom. Financial support also helped with the staggering out-of-pocket costs that can come with cancer treatment.

Wilson had a No Mo Chemo party where she finally felt free and surrounded by love.

"I let them see my authentic self. No hairpiece, no makeup. This is the first makeup I've had on in a year. Just allowing me to be me and for them to see, you know, yeah, my hair is gone, but it's coming back. That has been such a gift to be surrounded by people who love me enough to let me have a bad day," Wilson said as she pulled off her hairpiece and laughed while acknowledging she was able to save much more than 14 hairs.

One lesson she wants other people to understand is that supporting someone with cancer does not always require finding the perfect words. 

"Just show up and do something," Wilson said.