ONE TOUGH KOOKIE

When every curveball is thrown at the same time, there’s just no way to dodge them all

BY ROBIN ROGERS

or Rhonda Dolberry, when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB Breast Cancer, she felt like she was in the line of fire and the balls wouldn’t stop coming. Rhonda’s husband was fighting Non-F Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, her daughter was pregnant with her second child, and her sisterin-law was pregnant with her first child. How was she supposed to handle all of the things that she was accustomed to doing for others with a cancer diagnosis of her own?

A social worker for the Texas Department of Human Services, Rhonda’s motivations come from being able to help others. Strong and full of energy, Rhonda was helping her husband fight his cancer, so a diagnosis of her own was inconvenient. “I was preparing to return to the hospital to visit my husband when I found a lump in my left armpit,” Rhonda says.

After a trip to her doctor, Rhonda was referred to a specialist who ordered a series of tests; immediately, she was advised to have a mastectomy with chemotherapy and radiation.

She says, “Everything was just moving too quickly. I thought surely I was going to wake up any minute. I just kept saying, ‘I want my old life back again.’” But, with the help of her adult children, her church family, and strong sister support, Rhonda moved forward and had the mastectomy that was medically necessary.

“I remember when I came out of the recovery room, they wheeled me in to see my husband. In and out due to all of his medications, he simply said, ‘you’re going to be okay.’” A few days after my mastectomy, Rhonda’s husband passed away.

She says, “After my husband’s death, after my surgery, after my treatments, I never thought that I would be happy again and didn’t imagine that I would ever feel joy or peace again. But by the grace of God, little by little, I saw sunshine, and my life had meaning again. I was alive.”

One of the ways that Rhonda has found meaning has been through sharing her story, encouraging others affected by breast cancer, and educating people about breast cancer. “This is a serious disease,” Rhonda says, “and there are still a lot of people who need assistance and resources.”

Last year, Rhonda was selected as the Tough Kookie Survivor of the Year. She spent an entire season speaking about the Tough Kookie Foundation and advocating for breast and childhood cancer survivors.

Now over fifteen years cancer free, Rhonda Dolberry lives every day with a positive attitude, hoping to help others. Her advice to others going through cancer ranges from having a sense of humor, to keeping a journal to praying - a lot. She says, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions about your diagnosis, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take one day at a time, and know that you are never alone. God loves you.”

Proud to be a part of the Tough Kookie Foundation, Rhonda knows that the race does more than raise money for necessary care and resources for patients; more than those important things, the Tough Kookie Race brings awareness to fighting cancer. If cancer has ever touched your life, then you know how true knowledge is, and we are all in it together!