turn into anything less than the positive event that it started out to be. We didn’t want to bring everybody down, so we just held it together.
Two weeks after we came back from the honeymoon, we did the first surgery. I opted for a lumpectomy. My margins weren’t clear so we had to go back in two weeks later and do another lumpectomy and then I received good margins.”
After over a year of treatment, the stress of finding a job overseas to be with her new husband, and her daughter graduating high school, Ash-Simpson found out that her cancer was in remission.
“It was a blessing and it made me feel like, I’m definitely going to enjoy each day. And it made me realize how important family and friends are. I made a commitment to myself that I wasn’t going to miss any more family events because it was that important to me. It also made me realize that I wanted to get the message out to other women about how important it is to listen to your body and take care of yourself. A lot of the time we find out as African-American women that we have breast cancer when it’s already in later stages. If we’re more proactive about it, then it’s possible that you can find out about it earlier and possibly survive longer.”
“Sunshine, Noodles and Me” chronicles Ash-Simpson’s treatment; loss of her hair, and her new lease on life in a country, far, far away. The documentary was shot on location in Malaysia, Singapore, Indianapolis and Dallas.
Interestingly, Ash-Simpson’s mother was diagnosed with early stages of breast cancer at the age of 69; but today, both women are surviving and thriving.