ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
KNOWING IT EXISTS IS NOT ENOUGH GET THE INFORMATION AND PASS IT ON
Awareness BREAST CANCER Month Story & Photo by Paige Minshew
Abby Bandy had known for years that her risk of developing breast cancer was high.
Her mother, Bonnie Nine, was diagnosed in 2003. It was a bittersweet time for Bandy’s family. Nine received word of her diagnosis at the same time pregnant Bandy found out she was having a baby boy, Stephen. After radiation treatment, a partial mastectomy and a round of antineoplastics drugs, Nine’s cancer went into remission. The breast cancer nightmare wasn’t over for Bandy and her family though. It would rear its ugly head again in 2011 — this time in Bandy herself. Because of her mother’s diagnosis, Bandy knew there was a high probability of her falling victim to the same disease, so she began having mammograms at the age of 32. Women with no family history of breast cancer typically begin screenings at the age of 40. In March of that year, Bandy received news she had Ductal carcinoma in situ breast cancer, a non-invasive or pre-invasive breast cancer. This means the cells that line the ducts have changed to cancer cells but they have not spread through
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the walls of the ducts into the nearby breast tissue. Because Bandy’s cancer was detected early, her treatment plan was straightforward — lumpectomy and radiation. Bandy’s nightmare was far from over as her cancer returned in September 2014. It was time once again for a treatment plan to be developed between Bandy and her team of doctors. This time, however, the plan would need to be more aggressive. After consulting with her family and doctors, Bandy chose to have a double mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. Bandy works as a nurse at Nash UNC Health Care, so she was fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues who understood the long and painful journey ahead of her. “When I had to leave work, they took up money for me because I would be out of work for a while. They even sold T-shirts on my behalf. My work family did everything they could to make my life easier,” Bandy said. While Bandy’s occurrence of cancer went into
Because of her mother’s
diagnosis, Bandy knew there was a high probability of her falling victim to the same disease, so she began having mammograms at the age of 32. Women with no family history of breast cancer typically begin screenings at the age of 40.
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remission, tragedy struck the family again when her mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2019. She passed away this summer. “We did all we could to make her as comfortable as possible,” Bandy said. “She was there for me during my time of need and I wanted her to know she could depend on me.” Bandy believes she’s remained so positive about all she’s gone through because God prepared her. Before her first diagnosis, she began to dive deeper into her Christian faith. She said with God and her family on her side, getting through the devastating second diagnosis was exactly what she needed. ‘Life is short, so short,” she said. “I’m so grateful for every moment I have with the people I love. Having cancer puts things in perspective and helps you focus on what’s really important in life. My advice: spend as much time as you can enjoying life.”