Jessica Palumbo: Facing Stage 4 Breast Cancer with Faith, Motherhood & Hope

Send us Fan MailToday’s guest has spent much of her life learning something the ocean eventually teaches all of us:We cannot control the waves. But we can learn how to keep breathing when they come.Jessica Palumbo dreamed of becoming a mother for as long as she can remember. But before that dream came true, she would face years of infertility, uncertainty, procedures, waiting, and the quiet grief of wondering whether the children she had always imagined would ever arrive.Eventually, the tide turned, and Jessica became the mother of two beautiful boys.But life wasn't finished sending waves.Jessica lost her father to stage 4 cancer. Her mother would later face breast cancer. And then Jessica herself heard the words no one ever wants to hear:You have breast cancer.Initially, she believed it had been caught early. But additional testing revealed a much more aggressive disease. Her treatment became more extensive, and just one year later, another devastating wave arrived:Metastatic breast cancer.This time, Jessica says she felt as though she were drowning.And yet, in the middle of that fear, she began noticing something else—little reminders that perhaps she wasn't navigating these waters alone.Hummingbirds appearing at just the right moment. Dragonflies surrounding her on the beach. And the number 4:44, appearing again and again during some of her most difficult moments.Her Catholic faith became her anchor. Her family became her strength. And her two boys—ironically, passionate surfers who love the very big waves their mother spent so much of her life fearing—became her reason to keep swimming.Jessica's story is called “When the Ocean Waves Come: Finding Strength Beyond a Diagnosis.”She has learned that strength isn't about conquering the ocean. It's about finding joy between the storms, trusting that calm waters will return, and remembering that no single wave defines the entire sea.And just as importantly:No diagnosis defines her.She is still here. Still loving. Still hoping. Still breathing. And still rising.This is Jessica Palumbo.Support the showStill I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]