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Tracy Agelis

@tracy_agelis

644

followers

74

following

Breast Cancer during pregnancy
Lymphoma Survivor
Wife + Mom of 2
Warrior
✋🏼Not medical advice - Just my own personal experience and opinions 🩷💚

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Hi there! 👋🏼 I’m Tracy. I am one of the 1 in 3,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. Before being diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma at 38 years old, while 14 weeks pregnant, I had been cancer free for almost 22 years after surviving Stage 4 Lymphoma as a teenager. I am 9 months post double mastectomy, 5 months postpartum, and 3 weeks post diep flap reconstructive surgery. My treatment from here is still being determined, but in the meantime, I’m working on living a life with less chemicals & toxins in a world that’s full of them.
Follow me on my journey to health, and for clean product swaps & recommendations, so we can bring awareness and make a difference, together. ✌🏼

#cancer #breastcancer #pregnancy #cancersurvivor #lymphoma #awareness #diepflap #breastcancerinpregnancy #postpartum #doublemastectomy #health #journey #nontoxic #chemicalfree #letsdothis #breastcancerawareness #surgery #youngadultcancer by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

Maybe the battles we never asked for aren’t just meant to break us open. Maybe it’s about what pours out of us through the cracks. Maybe on the other side of our pain and heartbreak, we find a purpose bigger than ourselves. We gain the ability to reach someone who is walking a road we ourselves are struggling to survive.

And that’s why I choose to share my story.

Are there people who judge me for being open about my life on social media? Absolutely. Some people will always have opinions, misunderstand your intentions, or wonder why you choose to share such personal parts of yourself.

But here’s the thing: I DON’T CARE. I’m not doing it for those people or for the approval of anyone.

People will always have something to say, let them. The thought of being a positive force in even one person’s life will always matter more to me than someone else’s judgment.

I do it for all the people who message me thanking me for being so vulnerable and asking me questions of their own. I care that other people have me to lean on in their tough times because they know I can relate. I care that sharing my experiences can make others feel less alone. I care about being a place where others can come to share their own pain and stories. And I’m so, so grateful to everyone who messages me with prayers, well wishes, and beautiful things to say.

Not everything we go through is meant to be kept hidden. Sometimes, our greatest struggles become our greatest purpose.

You never know who needs to hear your story. Who is silently struggling, feeling broken, questioning their strength, or wondering if they’ll ever make it through what they’re facing.

So share your journey. Be vulnerable. Keep it real. Let your pain be used for something bigger than you. 🙏🏼🤍✨

#survivor #breastcancer #mentalhealth #strengthinnumbers #growthroughwhatyougothrough by @tracy_agelis

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2 days ago

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” - Babe Ruth

As I sat at the @yankees game last night, I thought, being diagnosed with cancer has some truths that align with baseball.
1️⃣ The unexpected can happen at any time.
2️⃣ Mindset matters when everything is on the line.
3️⃣ Going the distance is exhausting.
4️⃣ Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

In baseball, even the greatest hitters fail 70% of the time, so the focus is on patience, resilience, and never backing down. They’re pros because they are steady enough to strike out and keep going. To handle the ups and downs. The good games and the bad games.

On a personal note, I’m finally feeling semi back to normal after my third & (hopefully 🤞🏼) final surgery last month. While I’m still coping and adjusting to having little boobs, I have to say, being able to go out bra-less on a hot day is a great silver lining that I hadn’t even considered. 😂

Also, is tequila and sugar syrup out of a plastic cup with unfiltered ice good for me? Absolutely not. But life is short, and I’m still trying to find the balance between “you can’t have that” and “do what makes you happy” that feels right for me. 😊

We had the coolest, casual Monday night hang at @yankeestadium. ⚾️ If you’ve never been in the #pepsi lounge, you’ve got to check it out!

#breastcancer #warrior #baseball #yankees taken in Pepsi Lounge Yankee Stadium by @tracy_agelis

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5 months ago

I thought it would be fun to make these #viral pizza storage Christmas tree 🎄 gifts for my son’s teachers. But as a 2x cancer survivor, I don’t use plastic Tupperware, therefore, I wouldn’t gift it to anyone.

Check out the link in my bio for these beauties right here, and all the other items I used. 🍕👆🏼

I stuffed them with amazon gift cards, and my son was so excited to give them as gifts. 🎁

Luckily I’m better at crafting than I am at making reels. 🤪 Enjoy!

#pizzastorage #christmastree #giftideas #diy by @tracy_agelis

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10 months ago

On December 17, 2007, I was declared “cancer free” from Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma after almost six years of treatments, procedures, bloodwork, scans, tests and follow ups.

Now being 40 years old and having ended up with a second cancer, the term “cancer free” seems so strange to me. You really can never guarantee someone that they’ll stay cancer free. Sure, I was free of cancer at the time, for that cancer, but I always knew I was at higher risk of being diagnosed with another one.

On my journey with breast cancer, I learned they don’t even use the terms “remission” or “cancer free”. They also don’t really do any follow up testing. They say “let us know if you have any symptoms”. With the way our healthcare system manages cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow ups, it’s no wonder the cancer rates are going up each year.

Thanks to my husband for these beautiful roses on a day that I’ve always had trouble putting into words. It’s difficult to celebrate being cancer free from one cancer, while living with uncertainty of another.

#cancerawareness #breastcancer #lymphoma by @tracy_agelis

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10 months ago

After almost 2 years of pregnancy, postpartum and a battle with breast cancer, I was way overdue for a hair refresh! Being on this journey to my best health, plus climbing out of the chaos of survival mode, it was about time I started looking and feeling like myself again.

This was the longest my hair has ever been, and since I decided not to undergo traditional chemotherapy this year, I was able to save myself the pain of losing it all again this time around. (Along with many other things)

As a teenager going through aggressive rounds of chemo and being a bald 16 year old girl came with a lot of stares and mean comments from strangers, a lot of tears on the outside, and a whole lot of trauma on the inside. Getting to keep my hair this time, while easier to look in the mirror, still came with a lot of comments and judgements from other people. “But you don’t LOOK sick.” “Oh, it must not have been that bad since you didn’t lose your hair.” In a crazy way, it’s almost like people need a visual of your pain as proof of your struggle. Not all cancer patients look like, well, cancer patients. And I’ve been there, done that.

So for now, my long, beautiful, healthy hair - well, it’s a big FU to the comments, to the judgements, to the chemotherapy that scarred me, and to the two cancers that tried to take me out. 🖕🏼✌🏼

And shoutout to @colorbysara_hob for making me feel good about myself on a snowy Tuesday morning. 😘

#breastcancer #fuckcancer #survivor by @tracy_agelis

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10 months ago

On April 26, 2024, I was diagnosed with bilateral invasive ductal carcinoma. I also happened to be 14 weeks pregnant. Since my cancer was hormone positive, we agreed to do a life saving double mastectomy just 10 weeks later, and wait to do further treatment until after (and if) my baby was born.

My bloodwork was showing a certain protein that was also found on my tumors, so my doctor recommended doing therapeutic apheresis to clean it out.

This past August, I traveled to Scottsdale, Arizona to undergo a 4 week treatment protocol at Envita Medical Center. I received the treatments I needed to detox my body, boost my immune system, clean my blood and get on a path to health and healing. As part of my protocol, I went through four rounds of therapeutic apheresis.

💥 What is Therapeutic Apheresis?
Apheresis is where your blood is taken from your body through a double lumen port, and goes through a machine that separates your plasma from your blood. It sends the red part of your blood back to your body immediately, but filters the plasma component to clean out everything harmful in your blood.

💥 Benefits of Therapeutic Apheresis:
- Can reduce cancer recurrence risk
- Slows disease progression
- Decrease of toxic burden
- Reduces triglycerides
- Elimination of pathogen related toxins
- Elimination of tumor die-off metabolites and cancer cells in the blood
- Reducing cholesterol (LDL)

💥 Removes: 🦠
- Circulating tumor cells
- Mold
- Microplastics
- Heavy metals
- Disease causing proteins
- Pesticides, herbicides & solvents
- Harmful antibodies

#apheresis #therapy #treatment #therapeutic #therapeuticapheresis #blood #plasma #cancer #toxins #mold #heavymetals #cancercells #breastcancer #microplastics #health #integrativemedicine #october #breastcancerawareness taken in Envita Medical Centers by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

These past few months were some of the worst of my life. On top of having breast cancer, recovering from brutal reconstruction surgery, having a life threatening emergency, and being postpartum, my husband and I were going through a lot personally. I’m sure you can imagine navigating marriage through trauma and stress is anything but easy.

I was at my lowest. I had hit rock bottom, and I reached the point where I needed help. I needed something bigger than myself to make sense of all that I had endured. So I looked up.

I had been following @pastorscotanderson on instagram for some time, and when I went out to Phoenix for my cancer treatment in August, I found out that his church was only 30 mins away in Mesa. What are the odds?! I felt like this was a sign from God.

(I also got to see @jimmyeatworld perform my “theme song”, The Middle, for the first time ever out in Phoenix. They’re from Mesa. Weird coincidence? Idk. - check out my reel on that!)

We drove to @livingwordmesa two Sundays in a row to see Pastor Scot, and what we received was way more than I could have imagined. We heard the exact messages that our hearts needed. Messages about love, marriage, trust, faith, forgiveness, sickness, health, joy. The kind of messages that feed your soul and breathe life.

We had the opportunity to meet Pastor Scot, where we briefly chatted about how both of our grandfathers lived in Toms River, NJ when we were kids. But more importantly, and most meaningful, he prayed over me, my husband and our children.

The music and the service at Living Word had me sobbing - coming to the realization that being close to God was exactly what I needed all along. It rejuvenated me in a way I never expected.

Battling cancer, and life, healing from all I have been through is so much more than physical. I am healing from the inside, out. Mind, body, and soul. I have been a broken version of myself for years, since losing my sister, and it’s time to find my way back to myself, with the help of God’s healing hand. I am finally humble enough to know that I cannot do this on my own.

When life brings you to your knees, stay there, and pray. 🙏🏼 by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

If last night wasn’t the most perfectly serendipitous experience of my life.. ✨

In October 2001, @jimmyeatworld released a song called The Middle, and in March 2002, when I was a junior in high school, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. The Middle became my personal theme song, and got me through some of my hardest days.

At the time, a man named CJ Mueller, God rest his soul, was the frontman of a local New Jersey party band called @the_flying_mueller_brothers. CJ not only gave me a drum set, he not only came to my house to teach me how to play The Middle, but anytime I was at one of their shows at @jenksboardwalk in Point Pleasant, he would call me up on stage to play The Middle with the band.

All these years later, The Middle still evokes the emotions and the memories of that time in my life.

Last year, at 38 years old and 14 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Getting diagnosed with cancer for a second time brought me right back to feeling like that little girl in the middle of the ride.

I am currently out in Phoenix, Arizona for the month of August being treated for invasive ductal carcinoma. My husband, @tagelisjr, caught wind that The @offspring had a show in Phoenix last night, with none other than Jimmy Eat World. Getting to sing along with them, while I’m in treatment, and at a time I needed it the most, created one of the best moments of my life. I can’t think of a better way the stars could have aligned for me last night, and I can’t thank my husband enough for taking me to see Jimmy Eat World live for the first time ever for a night I’ll never forget.

Thank you Jimmy Eat World for writing that song for everyone struggling, like me, and for unknowingly being part of my journey, and such a big part of my life for the last 23 years and counting. Seeing you perform last night, up the road from your hometown, was a dream fulfilled. 🙏🏼🥹

#jimmyeatworld #themiddle #theoffspring #concert #tour #phoenix #arizona #mesa #jersey #jerseyshore #jenks #pointpleasant #newjerseysuccessstory #cancer #breastcancer #cancertreatment #journey #music #musicismedicine #goodforthesoul #musicheals #talkingstick #talkingstickresort taken in Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

Ok, so here’s the story! 👇🏼 (FULL STORY in my highlight)

Do you guys believe in divine intervention?!

I’m currently in Scottsdale/Phoenix area getting treatment for breast cancer. I had to fast for my treatment on this day, so when I got out, I was super hungry!

I don’t typically eat fast food, but hadn’t had Jack in the Box in about 15 years and felt like, “well, when on the west coast”. 🤷🏼‍♀️ So I went to Jack in the Box and ordered 2 burgers and 2 orders of fries. After I drove away, I grabbed my burger to eat it in the car and realized they gave me the wrong burgers. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I made the decision to go back and get the right burgers. The girl at the drive through was perfectly sweet and had the right ones made for me and told me to keep the incorrect ones.

My first thought was “I wish I could give these burgers to a hungry homeless person, but I haven’t seen anyone since being out here for 2.5 weeks.”

I continue on my drive to my air bnb, and coming off of the highway, there is a homeless man at the bottom of the exit on the corner of the main road.

😳😮 I couldn’t believe it!

Since I couldn’t just stop right there, I went down the street and swung a U-turn. I then pulled over under the overpass and put my hazards on.

I jumped out of my car, ran across the street and handed this man a bag with 2 burgers and fries in it. He was very thankful, and I was so grateful I found him. I truly believe our paths crossed on purpose that day. A series of things lined up for me to get that bag in his hand. 🍔🍟🤝

*This quick video of me jumping out of the car was for safety purposes, and not to film the interaction. I am sharing this experience to encourage others to go out of your way for someone and as a reminder that just as easy as things are to do, they are just as easy not to do. Had I just thrown the burgers in the trash, he may not have eaten that day.

FULL STORY in my highlight
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#traffic #phoenix #arizona #101 #freeway #overpass #yukon #jackinthebox #burgersandfries #burger #feedthehomeless #give #bekind #gooutofyourwayforsomeone #109degrees #divineintervention taken in Phoenix, Arizona by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

It doesn’t take much. Anybody with me? ☕️☀️🎬

#cut #mom #mombreak #coffee #icedcoffee #cafe #coffeeshop #takeabreak #timeout #mommylife #mommytimeout #ineedabreak #happy #simplelife by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago

There are real benefits to washing your fruit before eating it. It’s so easy to do, yet so easy not to do. 🍓🫐🍇🍎🍐

Washing fruits and vegetables can remove dirt, bacteria, and pesticide residue that can cause illness. 🤢🤧 Some pesticides are classified carcinogens that can lead to cancer. 😳🙅‍♀️🚫

Studies show using baking soda is more effective than water alone. 💦

Wash just before you plan to eat it, as this helps to remove contaminants without impacting texture or flavor.

How to Wash Produce with Baking Soda:
1️⃣ Place your produce in a bowl. (Preferably glass) 🥣

2️⃣ Sprinkle baking soda over your produce.

3️⃣ Cover with cool water to submerge. 💦
(I prefer to use filtered water)

4️⃣ Let it soak for 5-10 minutes. ⏲️

5️⃣ Rinse with clean water before consuming or cooking. 💦🍓

6️⃣ Enjoy! 😋 by @tracy_agelis

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a year ago