Oklahoman Shares Story Of Lifelong Battle With Breast Cancer, Encourages Others To Take Charge Of Their Health

It's estimated there will be more than 168,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. this year.

While this cancer is not curable, it's treatable. I want you to meet one Tulsa woman who is continuing to fight and motivates others as we get ready to Race for the cure.

Amity Ritze was in law school when she first found a breast lump.

Her doctor told her they would monitor it, but Amity's dad—who is also a doctor—said not to wait. That's when she got the news: it was breast cancer.

"Everything that I had to do with cancer treatment, I was able to do while I was in law school. A couple of times I would have to take off just because I wasn't feeling well but, mostly, I was able to keep going and that's the kind of person I am. If I like something, I tend to keep going" Amity said.

Amity immediately began treatment and soon found out this fight would be lifelong.

The cancer was stage four metastatic breast cancer.

5 percent of breast cancer patients are metastatic, which means the cancer that started in the breast, metastizes--or spreads—to other parts of the body: the bone, the lung, the brain.

While there is no cure, it is treatable.

"Every so often, I get a bump in the road and I go back in for some treatment and then I'm good for a while. So, it's kind of a little roller coast bump in the road,” Amity shared. “But I've been very fortunate that I've been with good doctors who research the medicine, look at the education behind it, confer with other doctors, and really find what's going to be the best thing for me."

Last year, Amity was the featured speaker at the Komen Race for the Cure and addressed others during the survivor ceremony.

Amity encourages others to take charge of their breast health through getting their regular checkups and mammograms.

“My biggest thing that I can't tell people enough is you've got to get in there and talk to a doctor. If you don't talk to your doctor, they're not going to know what you have, they're not going to know how you feel, they're not going to know what's going on with your body. And if they don't know any of those things, how can they help you?"

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