Cynthia Banda has a full life.

She's raising six children, and their extracurriculars keep her busy.

Cynthia’s life looks different than it did five years ago.  That's when her sister — Melissa Banda — was murdered by her ex-husband.

Melissa left behind three children, and Cynthia is now raising them along with her own children. 

READ MORE: ‘She will never leave us:’ Family remembers Melissa Banda following ex-husband's sentencing

“We made a deal when everything happened that we were gonna make it through and succeed,” Cynthia said.

Now, Cynthia is fighting a new battle she never expected.

In August, Cynthia was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.

“I was going for checkups because I had lumps on my left side and they had ruled it out,” Cynthia said. “It started with sonograms, biopsy; shortly after my results of it being cancerous I made an appointment with MD Anderson."

Cynthia got a mastectomy in October.

“At first they had told me my tumor was 1.1 centimeters. It was actually 14 centimeters,” Cynthia said. “So it was so big that they had to do a mastectomy."

The challenge didn't stop there

On Nov. 14, Cynthia learned the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, leading to another mastectomy.

“After this next surgery I’ll require physical therapy, and then after that chemotherapy and radiation,” Cynthia said.

As Cynthia prepares for what's next in her journey, friends and family are rallying behind her. 

Yri Infante said she’s been friends with Cynthia for over 20 years. She described Cynthia as a caring and strong woman.

“I told her, ‘OK Cindy, that’s enough. You've been Melli’s voice, your sister's voice, for five years. Today we're gonna ask for help for you,' because no matter what she shouldn't be doing it alone,” Infante said.

Cynthia said the support is keeping her hopeful.

“It’s just another chapter in my life that I just have to overcome,” Cynthia said. 

Watch the video above for the full story.