was introduced to breast cancer at a very young age. My grandmother was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer at age fifty while living in Alaska. In order to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and enroll in clinical trials, she lived with my family in Southern California. My clearest memories of my grandma mee-mee were of her wearing headscarves and face masks. My father was in the Navy, and I grew up moving around the United States, gifted with the experience of meeting people from all walks of life. My mother was an elementary school teacher, and I spent hours tutoring and learning the value of thoughtful and clear communication. I went on to graduate college with degrees in Biochemistry and English with honors. My English honors thesis focused on the metaphors that breast cancer survivors used in their memoirs to understand and cope with their cancer diagnosis, their treatments, and the side effects. In preparation, I read every breast cancer memoir that I could find. I then completed medical school, general surgery residency, two years in a basic science research laboratory, and breast surgery fellowship with the goal of focusing on the treatment of women with breast cancer. My mother still talks about how wonderful my grandmother's doctors were. I grew up listening to just how important the relationship is between a woman and her doctor; and how, sometimes, that makes all the difference. I will always aim to be the little ray of sunshine in an otherwise stormy journey through breast cancer. Alan Berch Hollingsworth, MD was Oklahoma's first breast-dedicated surgeon, now retiredfrom active practice, but still involved in breast MRI screening studies, as well as blood testresearch with biotech companies. Dr. Hollingsworth was the founding medical director of oneof the first multidisciplinary breast centers in the country, located at the University ofOklahoma where he also held the G. Rainey Williams Chair in Surgical Breast Oncology. In 1999, he was appointed as medical director of the Mercy Breast Center in Oklahoma City where heserved for over 20 years, also developing a unique private practice focused entirely on the long-term management of high-risk patients. As an author, he was recognized in the medical worldfor his books and original publications, prompting an invitation to serve as Editor and leadauthor for the first national think tank on breast cancer risk assessment, sponsored by Komen.He also served on the Editorial Board of The Breast Journal for many years. His writing effortswere not contained by medicine, however, and his breakthrough novel was the best-seller, Flatbellies, a coming-of-age story published by W.W. Norton (New York, London) in 2001.Various writing awards and recognition continued with his second novel, University Boulevard, as well as the true crime story of his grandfather's 1923 murder - Killing Albert Berch. For atrilogy called the Brainbow Chronicles, currently in progress, he uses the pseudonym, JohnAlbedo (www.johnalbedo.com). The first installment - Nutshell - was released in May 2021, with the second book - Cannibal Club - scheduled for release in 2022, and the final volume -Heavenly Blues - in 2023.