Thriver Profiles

My Defining Choice

by Donna Deegan

Sitting in the car with my husband. Silence louder than a jackhammer. The words that finally come surprise even me. “You’re going to have to help me live.” I’ve just rushed us both out of the Mayo Clinic. This was supposed to be a day of celebration. The five year “all’s clear” that marks a milestone for most cancer patients. Instead, it’s a nightmare visit, during which I’m told the cancer is back. I have faced this two times before. Only this time it’s not in my breast, or a lymph node, it’s in my lung.

I’ve always trusted my doctor, and I still do. But if there is an “aha moment” in life, this is mine.

I can no longer give over responsibility for my health, or my peace to someone else. Whatever time I have left, I am not going to live it in fear, looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. And if  I’m honest with myself, that’s what I’ve done. Not that most people would know it.

I anchor the evening news in my city. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and when the opportunity came to come home to work, I jumped at it. That was almost 25 years ago. Everyone knows me here. They followed me through my first two bouts with breast cancer. The hair loss, the gray skin, the puking. I was called “a fighter”, a “warrior”. Come up with any type ‘A’ word that describes what most people call courage and that was me. What I was, in truth, was scared out of my mind. ...More

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Love Strengthens

by Laurie Bennett

Jamie Bravata, a stage IV breast cancer thriver has found her stronger side. Six years ago, shortly before her 37th birthday, Jamie was diagnosed with breast cancer and has endured countless surgeries, treatments and appointments. Through this journey she has learned a lot about herself and what she learned helped her to be more fulfilled than before diagnosed with breast cancer.

Support, or rather learning to receive support, has been one of Jamie’s primary lessons learned. She admits that giving support has never been burdensome for her, but receiving support has been a struggle. Not because there were not people supporting her, rather that she had a difficult time accepting their outreach.

At first, Jamie leaned heavily and solely on her husband Chris. She states that although he would never admit it, the experience burdened him, yet she knows that other family and friend relationships have become more meaningful and richer because she reached out to those that had their hands and hearts extended to her. ...More.

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Take Time to Live

by Laurie Bennett

Building a safe platform for African American women to gather, be educated, and be heard has been the heart, focus and impact of Karen Eubanks Jackson’s work since 1994. Much to Karen’s dismay after her own diagnosis in 1993, she learned first hand that breast health and cancer information was not reaching her or her community. She found the informational materials did not exist, were not assisting, and simply did not address the fears for African American women facing breast cancer. Her personal diagnosis made her purposeful.

Karen became committed to “step out in faith to lead the effort to encourage discussion, inspire the celebration of survivorship and create a sisterhood of support for African American women fighting breast cancer.” Karen adds, “I was born into a family who believed in healing and building your community.”

With no blue print to follow for creating and developing such a sisterhood in Sisters Network Inc, the leading voice and only national African American Breast Cancer Survivor non-profit organization with 43 affiliate chapters in 22 States. Karen was led solely by the desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of women in order that they could become thrivers. Karen may not have had a blue print to begin, but she had influence and first hand account of the power of one person, healing, loving and serving her community. ...More

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