Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- When Amber Tribbey's doctors told her she didn't have anything to worry about, she knew that she had to trust her body and what she felt during her monthly self breast exam.
"If I hadn't done it that month I might not be here; had they not caught it (breast cancer) then, it would have spread quickly," Tribbey said.
She remembers the day she found the lump in her breast.
"It was the night before Mother's Day in 2008," Tribbey said.
It was so small that even her doctors couldn't feel it, but after a mammagram, and an ultrasound, a biopsy confirmed it was cancer.
"I've had 3 surgeries, 4 chemo treatments, and 35 individual radiation treatments," Tribbey said.
Amber is not your typical breast cancer patient. She was almost 35 when she was diagnosed. It was a tough pill to swallow as she worked to help her children understand her struggle.
"It throws the kids for a loop, mommy's always sick, mommy always has a doctors apointment but it did bring us a lot closer together," Tribbey said.
She has managed to stay strong by keeping her faith and believing that her life has a special calling.
"I think I have more life to live. I'm here for a reason and it's to bring awareness to breast cancer," Tribbey said.