Beech Tree News Network

Turn Morgantown Pink was started 12 years ago by Audrey Porter Pendley and Becky Hankins. The rain did not stop the event on Sunday afternoon on the Butler County Courthouse lawn.

Emcee Becky Hankins started the event by sharing a poem Tina Porter wrote in 2015.

"Tina continues her fight today; our prayers are with her," said Hankins.

Greg Drake gave the opening prayer, followed by Maggie Drake performing "How Great Thou Art."

The keynote speaker Lori Glass Gary gave the following inspiring address:

Good afternoon! Thank you for being here today as we support the fighters, admire the survivors, and honor the taken by Turning Morgantown Pink.

I want to thank Becky and Audrey for asking me to speak today and for organizing this event each year. Even though Tina isn't able to be with us, she is in our prayers. We can all say that we were devastated to hear the news about Tina. But she and her family are strong. I do not doubt that she will fight this cruel beast with all her might.

If you know me well, you know that speaking up here is stepping way out of my comfort zone. But I realized this isn't about me being nervous today – it's about sharing my breast cancer journey and the importance of annual mammograms. According to the Susan G Komen website, there will be 287,850 new breast cancer cases this year alone; this does not include recurrences. Mammography is the key to early detection. My friend Rhoda told me after my diagnosis, "your mammogram did its job – it saved your life!"

For those of you who don't know, I am a third-generation breast cancer survivor! My maternal grandmother (my Nanny) was diagnosed in 2010 at 80, my mom was diagnosed just four years ago at 68, and I was diagnosed earlier this year at 52. We are all BRCA gene negative, meaning we don't have the breast cancer mutation gene. Each of our cancers was hormone receptor-positive. I knew the possibility of getting breast cancer was high, but I honestly thought I had a few more years. I sat right over there last year listening to Dr. Cabrera speak and thinking, "if I ever get breast cancer, I hope he's still around." Well lucky for me, four months later, he was still around. Susan, I'm thankful you and Dr. Cabrera took time out of your schedule last year to be here.

When Becky asked me to speak, she asked if I would not only talk about my journey but also about being a caregiver for Mom during her journey.

As I thought about this, I almost felt guilty about Mom's journey. I was shocked and saddened when she was diagnosed, but I was relieved that she wouldn't be losing her breast or having chemo. In my mind, radiation wouldn't be that bad but I didn't realize until I started radiation myself that side effects come with it. I just wish I had known the fatigue she would face at the end of her treatment and then the off and on fatigue she dealt with for almost six months, the redness and swelling, the soreness to where it hurt to wear a bra, and just going every weekday for 16 days because about halfway through, you wonder if it's ever going to end. I will always wish I had done more to help her emotionally because she didn't complain or talk much about what she was experiencing. Indeed, you don't know how a person truly feels until you've walked in their shoes. Well, in February of this year, I was about to walk in Mom's shoes.

 On Wednesday, February 9th, I had my annual mammogram. Even before Mom and Nanny were diagnosed, I have made it a point to get one every year since turning 40. I went in that day like most women do – dreading it but knowing it had to be done. I mean, who doesn't like having 20 – 40 pounds of pressure being put on their breast all the while standing there with your face pressed up against the machine, standing in an awkward position, being told to turn your shoulder a certain way, arm holding on to a bar, and hearing those famous words Don't Breathe. I'm not sure how they expect you to breathe at that point, anyway! Within two hours of returning to work, I received a call that I needed additional views. It concerned me, but I wasn't trying to think about it that much because being called back isn't uncommon for some women…but I had never been called back for additional views before.

I was lucky enough that I was able to get an appointment two days later. I was so thankful that Lorrie Givens was the one doing it that day. When she was finished, she sat me in a little room while she let the radiologist look at the images. A few minutes later, she came back and said Dr. Rubin wanted me to have an ultrasound. As I walked across the hall, I KNEW what I was getting ready to face at that moment. I can't explain it, but I felt it in my gut. As I lay back, I turned my head and watched the ultrasound tech make her markings. When she left the room to get Dr. Rubin, I teared up and began thinking this wasn't fair. I didn't think it wasn't fair to me; I thought it wasn't fair to my family. Mike and I had been married less than two years I didn't want to put him through something like this. Both of my daughters were having stressful weeks I didn't want to add to it. And lastly, this wasn't fair to my sweet momma. It had been nine months since Dad had passed from lung cancer. This was not fair to her!!

Dr. Rubin came in and told me that I had a pea-sized mass, I needed to see a surgeon soon for a biopsy, and that he was going to grade it as a Category 5 on the report, which means it's highly suggestive of malignancy. I had to ask him to show me where it was because I couldn't feel it. I remember walking out of the hospital, tears running down my cheeks, and wondering how I was going to tell my family. I called Mike and remembered him saying, it'll be ok; we'll get through this. But I wasn't ready to call Mom; she didn't know I was having additional views. So I sent her a text after I got back to work, and on my way home, I called her. And it was then that we talked about what I should expect going forward, but I remember most that Mom reminded me of the many ladies who have stood up here themselves. So many of your faces were in my thoughts that night as I lay in bed. I thought about Tina Porter. I remember watching her walk in front of my house not long after her first surgery, and I admired her strength, not just her physical strength, but her mental strength. Betty Grubb I was still working for Dr. Wells when you received your diagnosis 26 years ago. Becky, I remember hearing you talk about teaching all day and then going for your treatments after school. Kimberly Moore, Shanna Drake, Ms. Carlon Pendley, Kyllie Doughty, Mary Lou Flener, Ms. Margaret Huff, the late Ms. Marjorie Flener, and so many others. Thinking about all the ladies who have stood up at the end of this program for the last four years that I've been attending gave me HOPE!!! And sometimes all you need is a little hope.

I share all of this with you because it was just the beginning of the roller coaster I was getting ready to ride. And I don't like roller coasters! That is the only way I can explain how I felt when I was diagnosed – a roller coaster of emotions where I was going to have to hold on tight. On February 17th , Dr. Jessen confirmed what I already knew - it's cancer. Anyone who has ever been diagnosed with any type of cancer, knows what it feels like to hear those dreaded words. You don't wish it on your worst enemy. I decided to go ahead and have a breast MRI so I would know for sure that nothing had been missed. The results of that gave us a scare, and I had to have a lymph node biopsy. I must share a funny story with you because at this point in my journey, you either laugh or cry because even though I thought I was handling everything well, I really wasn't. The day I went in to get the results of the MRI, the nurse put me back in the ultrasound room and gave me a gown to put on. So, in my head I'm already thinking, why is she doing this? Results revealed that my lymph node was a little swollen, so I needed another ultrasound. Once Dr. Jessen had finished, he told me that he needed to biopsy it, and if it came back as cancer, then it would need to be treated with "medicine". Well at this point, I'm hearing him, but I'm not listening because I'm thinking medicine – does he mean antibiotics, steroids that's all I could think of. Before he left the room, I asked "when you say medicine, what are you talking about?" And in unison, he and Mom both said CHEMO. That never even crossed my mind, and I wasn't expecting to hear that because I just assumed that my path was going to be like Mom's. Biopsy, lumpectomy, and radiation. So as you can imagine, that was a very long week for me. God answered our prayers, and the node biopsy was negative. A lumpectomy was finally scheduled, and at this point, I was just ready to get the cancer out of me! I think the hardest part for me during those weeks was just the hurry up and wait…dr appointment one day, results a few days later. There were days of I'm going to fight this, and then there were days of I'm not sure I can do this. I remember having a tough time saying that I had breast cancer because I wasn't sick.

My surgery was successful and pathology reports revealed that it was Grade 1, negative nodes, clear margins, and hormone receptor-positive. Pretty much best case scenario if you get breast cancer. A few weeks after my surgery, it was time for oncologist and radiation oncologist appointments. On my first visit with Dr. Cabrera, he explained that there is a test called the Oncotype DX where your tumor can be tested to see how likely cancer will return. It also predicts whether a person will benefit from having chemo in addition to hormone therapy. On a scale of 0-100, a score of 25 or less was good and meant no chemo. Two long weeks later, I found out my score was 10, so I started on my little cancer pill as Nanny used to call it, and on April 19th, I began my 20 radiation treatments.

Because I'm below age 60, I received 4 extra treatments than Mom that they call boost treatments where they zoned in on the area where the cancer was actually located. At 7:15 each weekday morning, I had a treatment that lasted around 10 or 15 minutes and off to work I went. Dr Li and the radiology staff at the Medical Center were wonderful! I didn't miss a day of work during those treatments because I was determined that this cancer wouldn't bring me down! From getting the first biopsy results on February 17 to my last radiation treatment on May 17th (three months), I had gone from being diagnosed with breast cancer to being a breast cancer survivor. All because of my annual mammogram. Until the day I die, I will preach the importance of mammograms and early detection!

I'm unsure how anyone gets through something like this without faith. God has been so good to my family and me, and I'm very thankful for his answered prayers and the many blessings in my life. When you're battling cancer, they say it takes a little army, so I would like to thank my family, friends, and work-family for your prayers, love, encouragement, and support! Special thanks to four of the most important people in my life. Mike, you were my biggest cheerleader and positive support. God knew I would need you and your family when He put you in my life three years ago. My girls, Kaylyn and Kassidy –you're my whole heart, and it is an honor to be your mother. I pray there is a cure so no mother has to watch her daughter go through this. And Mom!! I couldn't have made it without you. When I say Army, she was the Little General.

I remember sitting in the waiting room for my first appt with Dr. Jessen and her saying, "I hope they let me go back with you…. because they're going to have a hell of a time stopping me!". After that, she was with me at every appointment so Mike wouldn't have to miss work. She prepared me for what to expect during my journey. We cried tears of sadness in the Drs office parking lot and tears of happiness too. I'm not sure if we're the first mother and daughter to be speakers for this event, but I pray we are the last!

In closing, I read that the definition of a WARRIOR MINDSET means that you won't quit…you will do whatever it takes to win a fight or complete a mission. So today, as we gather here, we are not only pink sisters, but we are pink warriors!

Shanna Drake recognized those who have lost family members due to breast cancer: Lola Harrison Dockery, Nancy Cornett, Fredia Matlock, and Jennie Vaughn Drake.

Shira Beth Hughes recognized the survivors: Lori Gary, Patty Glass, Carly Elmore, Linda Pendley, Iva Howard, Tracie Clark, Lisa Greenwood, Michelle Taylor, Shanna Drake, and Becky Hankins.

Shanna and Maggie Drake provided refreshments.