FIRST-HAND ADVICE AND INSIGHT TO HELP CAREGIVERS COPE
A DISCUSSION WITH
H AY D E N MC D O N A L D Hayden McDonald is a Montgomery native who has spent her life being active and helping others improve their health by doing the same, working as an exercise physiologist with the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Baptist Medical Center South for years while also teaching group exercise classes and serving as a personal trainer at various fitness centers and country clubs for two decades. A routine mammogram caught an aggressive cancer, but the love Hayden has received from friends and family is proving tougher than the tumor, especially the sweet support delivered daily by her husband Brandt and her three boys, Chase, age 14, Caden, age 11 and Miller, age 4.
When were you diagnosed with cancer and with what type? I turned 40 years old, so I scheduled my mammogram. I’m very thankful I didn’t wait! A 3D mammogram in February 2020 showed a suspicious area, and an ultrasound confirmed a tumor. I had a biopsy, and then a couple weeks later, had surgery to remove the Stage 1 (small) Grade 3 (aggressive) tumor that was hormone positive and HER negative. Since my cancer was aggressive, and I was only 40 years old (which meant a great chance of reoccurrence because of my age and since I plan on living a long life!), it was decided that I would benefit from both chemotherapy and radiation, so that was my treatment.
36
VISIT JOYTOLIFEMAGAZINE.ORG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NANCY FIELDS / BIG DREAMZ CREATIVE
real
1
2
