Bobbi Rock, with her brother Dave Sloan, says she relied on family and friends often during her chemotherapy.

Bobbi Rock of Butler was diagnosed with breast cancer during the first mammogram she took.

Rock, who is now 45, was covered through health insurance for mammograms starting in 2013, once she turned 40.

“To this day there will always be a question of — how long did I have it?” Rock said. “So I could’ve had it for three years before that, five years before. There’s no way to ever know.”

Almost immediately she began chemotherapy treatment, describing it as a “demon” that ransacked her immune system, leaving her vulnerable to sickness, like most cancer patients who undergo the radiation treatment, and stealing from her family time she won’t ever be able to recoup.

At the time, Rock’s youngest son was three years old and, like most toddlers, he would often get sick, forcing Rock to stay away from him. As a single mother it was often hard to do that, requiring her to employ the aid of friends and family.

Another stressor for Rock was the uncertainty that came with learning she had cancer.

“I didn’t think I’d see my son go to kindergarten and now he’s 8,” Rock said. “I didn’t know I’d make it this far.”

For nearly a year, Rock underwent 18 rounds of chemotherapy at the Benbrook Medical Center, each one taking six hours to complete.

“Your immune system is devastated,” she said. “It’s months and months of flu-like symptoms around the clock.”

There are varying degrees of breast cancer, Rock explains. She had a particularly invasive form and after almost a year of chemotherapy underwent a massive surgery. This Oct. 15 marks her “cancerversary” — the day doctors performed radical bilateral mastectomies with lymph node dissection. Essentially, doctors removed both of Rock’s breasts, as well as the tissue beneath them. Rock said that despite the surgery’s success, the prospect of cancer reemerging continues to stay with her.

“When you’re diagnosed with cancer, you’re a lifer. You can go into remission but there’s always a chance it will come up. And that’s why the question ‘are you cured?’ is such a loaded question,” Rock said.

She regularly goes for check ups now where doctors monitor her for any cancer resurgence.

Rock remembers how as a kid she always knew her parents would take care of her when she got sick. As she got older and became independent, that confidence transferred to doctors. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Rock said, there was nothing tangible for her to rely on.

“It’s such an eye opener to hear that word: cancer,” Rock said. “You’re facing your own mortality. Doctors can’t fix you and your Mom can’t either. So you rely on faith. You’re never going to look at things the same. It will change you. It makes you prioritize what’s really important.”