Erica King, 49, lives to be a mother.

King, a Methuen resident and breast cancer survivor, has traversed chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and now a series of treatments that have forced her to face something alongside death: insecurity.

"My daughters say I am a warrior," she said. "Now I just have to be kind to myself."

Her two children, 19 and 25, are what keeps her going.

"I need to be alive for them," she said. "I really believe I have a purpose here."

King admits that she went six years without having a mammogram.

"Life got busy for me," she said. "I seem to have fallen off the radar for a mammogram."

According to the American Cancer Society, women between the ages of 45 and 54 should get mammograms every year. Other guidelines recommend starting at age 40.

Three years ago, a pain under her left arm persuaded King to seek medical help.

One nurse believed it to be ingrown hair, while another had deeper concerns. An ultrasound confirmed that King had breast cancer.

She was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, which has a high rate of recurrence. The cancer had spread throughout her breast into her lymph nodes. King was at stage 2B.

"It was absolutely terrifying," she said. "The powerlessness that I felt in that time period."

Soon she was on chemotherapy, around six rounds' worth. After that came a lumpectomy, a surgery to remove the part of her breast with cancer. But there were problems.

"They didn't get clean margins," she said. "It all needs to be cancer free around the perimeter of it."

So a few weeks later, "they went in again" and then a third time with no clear margins. This meant there was more cancer in the MRI scan than had been detectable.

All of her lymph nodes were removed.

"My whole goal in all this is to live," she said. "I have never been more afraid to die."

While the cancer is now gone, King is looking at getting a second mastectomy, as a preventative measure.

"It gives me some comfort," she said. "There are no guarantees."

King also finds comfort in helping animals, having volunteered at Animal Rescue Merrimack Valley for the past 16 years.

"There is always a need for it," she said. "I connect on a level with a helpless animal."

Her work includes feeding feral cats.

"It's a wonderful, fulfilling job," she said. "It changed my life."

Despite being cancer free, King is still undergoing treatment. For the last two years, she has been on hormone therapy, which has caused her emotional pain.

The hormone suppressants and the injections King takes to trigger menopause cause her to gain weight. The medications ensure that King doesn't produce estrogen and progesterone.

"Those slow down my metabolism tremendously," she said.

These treatments are also lesser known than other procedures she has had.

"It's tedious, and nobody really wants to know the whole story about what goes on behind the scenes," she said.

These physical changes cut her deeply.

"Some things are very embarrassing to me, and I have to get past that," she said.

Having a supportive husband and family helps, she said. She hopes to connect with other survivors so she can talk about her unique experiences.

King also hopes to improve her mindset.

"I would like to shift my focus onto spiritual things rather than live in anxiety," she said. "It take a lot of practice."

King's youngest daughter attends Salem State University, and her oldest daughter recently graduated with a master's degree from Simmons University.

"I have aspirations, I don't think this is as good as it gets," King said. "I say in my mind, the best is yet to come."