It MiGht Sound
y z a Cr
But It Helped Me ThrouGh Cancer
These seven women are proof that motivation can be found in unlikely places. Each started her journey with a breast cancer diagnosis but went down a separate path to discover her own way of fighting back. From exposing scars to walking against the winter chill, these survivors are examples of how strong we can be at our most difficult times. BY TORIE TEMPLE / PHOTOS BY MELISSA DONALD ON THE COVER: V alerie Hall, page 4, finds help in daily running.
Artwork by Silvia Cabib. Photo by Melissa Donald.
An Upcoming Wedding At the age of 55, Valeria White and her husband made the decision to leave their home in Shelbyville to move in with her dad. Valeria’s father had just finished the disheartening task of moving his wife into a nursing home. It was just after the move when Valeria found a lump in her breast while in the shower. “I wasn’t looking for it,” she says. “I was just washing and found a lump.” Denial and the fear that her family would worry kept her quiet. She told no one of her discovery for two weeks. “I should’ve known better,” she confesses. “We had seen so many buried because of cancer.” Valeria wanted to live. Her daughter’s wedding was just months away, and she wasn’t going to miss seeing her walk down the aisle or any other event in the lives of her four children. After her diagnosis, Valeria had a mastectomy followed by four months of chemo, then six weeks of radiation. During her treatments, the deceased kept her living. She continued her work at the funeral home she and her husband managed, determined not to let cancer bury her. She says taking care of the nonliving taught her to just live and be a part of every moment. “Slow down and take care of yourself,” Valeria advises. “You’ve made it through today; now concentrate on tomorrow. Don’t think about next week. Take one day at a time.” Valeria is a 15-year survivor.
BREAST HEALTH SUPPLEMENT
october 2013
Cleaning Houses
Robin Ames winced each time her arm would brush against her right breast. It had become so tender she had no choice but to see her doctor, who would later diagnose her with breast cancer at the age of 36. Before her diagnosis, Robin considered herself “the world’s biggest weenie.” She didn’t realize what she was capable of enduring or how cleaning would help her tackle breast cancer. After her mastectomy, Robin went through eight chemo treatments and 12 weeks of Herceptin injections. She feared becoming ill while receiving her treatments, which prevented her from going out in public often. But instead of being trapped in her own house, Robin found contentment in cleaning others’ houses. She took on as many clients as she physically could, and along with a friend as a co-worker, she got lost in the routine. At the end of the day, cleaning satisfied the physical activity Robin needed as well as the friendship she enjoyed. Her work provided her with the distraction she needed to go from “the world’s biggest weenie” to a survivor.