Adina Perullo, 35, says her breast cancer battle began when she found a lump.

Perullo says she knew from the moment she first heard the words breast cancer that she wasn't going to give in or give up.

"When I was first diagnosed, I was full steam ahead. There was really no time for me to wait or think or dwell," says Perullo.

She wanted to, needed to, be there for her family - her husband and her two young sons.

She had a double mastectomy 23 days after being diagnosed. Sixteen rounds of aggressive chemotherapy followed, so did 28 radiation treatments and four surgeries.

The phrase, "I walked into the storm, and I became the storm," resonated with her so much, she had it tattooed on her arm, and it's become sort of a mantra for herself and others.

It's now been more than a year since her surgery, and Perullo says she's finally allowing herself to slow down, and really process everything she's been through.

Perullo says her diagnosis, treatment and recovery not only changed her life physically, but has given her a different perspective on the future as well.

"I need to be in the now a little bit more because I don't know what's next," she says.