I’m 28, I was a typical millennial–active, health-conscious, happily raising my beautiful little boy with my husband, and enjoying a successful career.

I did CrossFit multiple times a week and had just completed a half marathon. I’d never been a smoker, had no family history of disease, didn’t live near a nuclear plant of any kind…

I’d made all the “right lifestyle choices”, yet despite the false sense of security I had—I woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath, lightheaded from asphyxiation while desperately coughing to get blood out of my lungs. I had no idea what was happening—somehow, we made it to the emergency room where I was admitted and a CT scan revealed that I had a tumor the size of a tennis ball completely blocking my right airway. What followed was a mix of shock, grief, fear, and a continued series of x-rays, scans, and a bronchoscopy that culminated in a neuroendocrine cancer diagnosis less than 24 hours later.

The sudden weight of this crushing new reality had barely been made tangible when an added weight complicated the situation in my mind: I didn’t have a will or any kind of an estate plan. I didn’t even know where to begin with setting one up. What I did have in front of me, however, was an emotionally shaken husband and a precious two year old, who I would do anything for. I couldn’t imagine leaving them to navigate the worst case scenario alone, much less having to sort out legalities and the complexities of paperwork in the face of grief.

While recovering from my first painful surgery—the rest of my treatment plan was established, which put an open thoracotomy (lung removal) on the calendar, an invasive procedure which came with a substantial amount of uncertainty and risks. I knew I had to truly face this reality by setting up a will in preparation for the worst case scenario. That was a devastating experience I would not wish upon anyone.