By Chelsea Gonzalez, formerly Chelsea Ambrosi
In 2021, Downtown Denville BID nominated me as the Pink Witches Night Out Recipient, and it was a night that I will never forget. The support and love that I felt that night is unmatched, and I will forever be grateful to have grown up in such an incredible community.
Since being the recipient, a lot has happened! Do we start with the most obvious (my last name)? In October 2022, Bryan and I had our dream wedding. This was a night that Bryan & I both were uncertain would happen. Do we postpone the wedding? Call it off completely? There were definitely a lot of uncertainties leading up to the big day, but after two years of wedding planning and one hell of a fight against breast cancer, I walked down the aisle and married my best friend.
Rewinding back to my journey after PWNO: I still had quite a few hurdles to overcome. I continued with chemotherapy, completing that leg in November 2021. A few weeks later, it was time to prep for and undergo my bilateral mastectomy. A couple days after, I was called with the amazing news that my final pathology report was in and it read that there was no evidence of disease in my tissue and lymph nodes – truly the best possible outcome! After lots of rest and recovery, it was time for the next leg of treatment (and the worst for me): radiation. Although this treatment was not kind to me, I pushed through it and on March 14, 2022 I rang the bell to signify my end of treatment.
Since treatment has ended, I have begun my ten-year journey with hormone therapy. I have also undergone reconstruction surgery and am anticipating a few revision surgeries in the near future. Besides dealing with the crazy hot flashes from hormone therapy (and maybe moodiness from here or there), I am feeling amazing. Life is good, I am healthy, and the cancer is gone.
Meg, Jenn, Downtown Denville BID, Saint Clare’s Health, DPW & Denville Beautification, the sponsors, the vendors, and the entire Denville community – thank you! Thank you for putting together such an amazing event year after year and showing up for all of the badass fighters and warriors out there. I cannot wait to see what is in store for this year’s Pink Witches Night Out!
