By Abby Aldrich
Terri Woods remembers the day she went in to have both her breasts removed. It was on her mother’s birthday, Oct. 28.
Her husband, sister, mother and minister came into her room to pray before the surgery. Woods was feeling calm until the prayer started.
“Then all of us just broke down and cried,” Woods said. “That was the only time I have ever seen my husband cry.”
A wordcloud of the 2015 presidential proclamation declaring October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast cancer affects millions of lives, which is why the entire month of October is designated Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year in the U.S., 2.8 million women have a history of breast cancer, including those currently being treated.
But they are not the only ones who suffer. Family, friends, healthcare providers and colleagues of cancer patients are often called co-survivors. They feel pain and uncertainty alongside their loved ones and provide emotional support.
Woods, director of marketing and sales at Custom Corporates in Houston, was first diagnosed with breast cancer is 2008. The illness recurred in 2013. Woods said she felt her heart sink just like the first time when the nurse asked a radiologist to look at her mammogram and order an ultrasound.
The results came back. Woods had already been treated with radiation, so this was no longer an option. Instead, the oncologist recommended removal of both breasts.
“This was all too much for me,” Woods said. “I was horrified, and my mom was beside herself.”
Now cancer-free, Woods depended a lot on her family, friends and church, Grace Presbyterian. Her mother was one of her greatest supporters.
“She didn’t try to talk me out of feeling bad on the days when I felt bad,” Woods said. “She just went with whatever I was feeling, and that was helpful.”
Brooke Woods, the daughter of Terri Woods, was 12 when her mother was first diagnosed in 2008. She neither knew what to expect, nor fully understood the situation. It was clear to her that cancer was a scary thing; yet, her mother remained calm and brave.
“She made me feel like I didn’t need to be scared,” Brooke Woods said.
Lauren Midgley, another breast cancer survivor, remembers the emotional whirlwind her diagnosis brought.
An author, professional speaker and business strategy consultant from North Richland Hills, Texas, Midgley was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer last July.
A single mother of two children, she asked her doctor what would happen if she did not elect treatment.
“She looked me straight in the eye and very seriously said, ‘You will die,'” Midgley said. “At that moment, I felt as though I had no choice but to do what they said so that I could live, see my kids through college, and help them as much as I could through navigating life.”
Added Midgley: “I remember leaving her office barely able to walk on my own. I made it to the atrium of her office building, sat down and just started crying.”
Last December, Midgley had a lumpectomy, a procedure involving the removal only of the breast tumor and some of the surrounding tissue.
In January, she had a mastectomy, the surgical removal of the entire breast. The lumpectomy had shown the cancer’s margins were not clear-cut, so there was a chance she still had cancer tissue.
Now, Midgley said she feels about 75 percent okay.
“I still tire out and do not have the strength I once had,” she said. “I am now focused on how to rebuild my health and immune system by eating better and doing very moderate exercise.”
Women diagnosed with breast cancer often find support beyond their families and friends. For example, after her diagnosis, Terri Woods met a breast cancer survivor who encouraged her to volunteer on the small grants committee at Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Woods served for five years.
“She offered to come with me to doctor appointments and was in constant contact with me throughout the whole experience,” Woods said.
Midgley said people going through this journey need to create a strong support system, choosing to surround themselves only with positive and drama-free people.
“Spend that energy on what you want to do,” Midgley said. “Say no to all else.”
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