‘Blown away’: Woman undergoing breast cancer treatment says family and friends have made journey easy

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- A warm smile and lots of positivity: That's what's helping Kristi Testerman through her breast cancer journey.

"What I bring to the table as a mom and wife and a business owner and stuff like that," Testerman said. "So when most of that gets taken away, it's really hard to figure out where you fit, how you can bring value, and just what makes you happy."

She was diagnosed just seven months ago, after finding a lump on her breast.

"Within about a week, I found out that I had breast cancer, and that it was highly invasive and obviously was growing fast," she recounted.

Testerman quickly began chemotherapy treatment and finished her last session in August, receiving a double mastectomy just a few weeks ago.

"But once you start getting that treatment, you kind of get in the routine of things, as bad as it is. It's also nice knowing that you're taking action to do something about it," she said.

But through it all, she says she has found happiness in activities and her family, even having two bunnies to keep her company.

"In life, obviously you can't plan things," Testerman said. "But when you go through something like this in particular - I've just been blown away, I think, and very humbled, by how important it is to have people around you."

Testerman will continue targeted treatment until May, as doctors were not able to remove all of the cancer with her surgery. But she says doctors feel hopeful she'll soon be cancer-free.