Margie Fredrickson lives life to the fullest.

It’s what she and husband Gary Fredrickson were doing in 1997 when the two went on a vacation to Texas to visit their son.

Margie Fredrickson was on top of the world, feeling the best she’d ever felt. But a mammogram days after returning from vacation brought her bliss to a crashing halt.

The test revealed she had breast cancer.

The shock was surreal for Fredrickson as she has no family history of cancer.

“It was a frightening experience,” she recalled. “I went in feeling so good.”

Fredrickson knew something was wrong the longer she sat in the doctor’s office. Five minutes passed, then 10, and so on.

The nurse arrived to deliver the news, but nothing needed to be said.

“When the nurse came in and couldn’t look directly at me and was looking down, I just knew something was wrong,” Fredrickson said. “From there things just moved kind of fast.”

Within a matter of weeks, Fredrickson breezed through the testing, biopsy and radiation processes. Through every step, Fredrickson said the fear of the unknown was intense – fear from not knowing how severe the cancer was; fear from not knowing whether or not it could spread.

The next part of her process was telling her family. It was her husband’s words that gave her peace of mind.

“When we got married, I didn’t marry you for your breasts,” Gary Fredrickson said. “So whatever it is we have to face, we face it together.”

And that’s what they did.

Because the doctors caught Fredrickson’s cancer early, she was immediately booked for seven weeks of radiation treatment.

Fredrickson said she was warned by doctors that the treatment is as terrible as it sounds.

She said her radiation education doesn’t help with the fear factor. All risks, such as severe skin rashes, breakouts, and extreme soreness, were all laid out for Fredrickson. When she finally felt the side-effects of the radiation, the fatigue was tremendous.

“I was fortunate,” she said. “I didn’t really experience much of that until right at the end.”

It took a lumpectomy and radiation treatment three days a week for over a year, but Fredrickson finally beat breast cancer.

“It took part of me – my breast – but not all of me,” she said. “I’m still here.”

But the fight’s not over for Fredrickson. For the last three years, she’s had to battle multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects plasma cells in bones.

Fredrickson said a key to battling cancer of any kind is regular exercise. She believes it does an immeasurable amount of good for both body and soul during such a tough time.

“Cancer takes up so much of your time,” she said. “Taking time to do that for yourself is so important.”

In addition to exercise, Fredrickson said it’s important to stay positive and look for the good in everything.

Just as she was making good of each day she spent on vacation in Texas, she said she really learned to appreciate it once being diagnosed with cancer.

The alternative is falling into a deep depression that few are able to come out of.

Luckily, Fredrickson’s never been able to comprehend that mindset.

“I’ve never been that personality,” she said. “I have a great life, a great family. The cancer helps me appreciate all of it even more and live life to the fullest.”