Crystal Brown's body just keeps putting roadblocks in her way.

But the Joint Base Lewis-McChord spouse keeps driving right through them.

When she was in high school, doctors found a lump on her right breast. Fortunately, it was a cyst and she had it removed.

In 1999, another lump appeared on the same breast and the test came back positive for cancer. Once again her doctor removed it surgically since it wasn't that large.

"But they didn't get it all," said the 30-year-old Brown, who lives on JBLM with her husband Richard, a Soldier in the 542nd Maintenance Company, and 10-year-old daughter Misty.

The growth came back. Brown's doctor is now running tests on the lump to see if it is cancerous. She is due to receive the results late next month.

"When I discovered the lump in the same place, I looked in the mirror and was like, ‘You've got to be kidding me!'" she said.

Despite the challenges, Brown has maintained a positive attitude.

"I've surpassed it twice, and I can do it again," the California native said.

The lump isn't the first health scare Brown has had in her life.

"It's been a crazy life," she said with a laugh.

After getting pregnant with her daughter, Brown had to give birth three months early via an emergency cesarean section because she came down with jaundice. She got a liver transplant, and now Misty is a healthy 10-year-old these days.

Brown also recently added a triumph over liver cancer to the list.

"With only one treatment," she said proudly.

The Army spouse has really leaned on her husband, her family and her strong faith in God to get her through the recent health trials.

"I know he'll never give me more than I can handle, but I'm feeling pretty weighed down," she said.

The family moved to JBLM in the summer of 2010 from Alabama. While it has taken Brown some time to get used to the climate and the area, she now loves it.

"I think it's just beautiful," she said.

Throughout the next couple weeks, the family will anxiously await the diagnosis. Brown plans on surrounding herself with love and support.

"My husband is my biggest supporter and I'm really close with my parents," she said.
"We're always making time for each other at night. It can mean eating dinner together or playing a game. I just want to spend every moment with my family."