- Angela Shaw,
Danvers, Ill. resident
It was a chilly morning on Feb. 25 2003. The wind rattled through the trees outside my bedroom and smacked the window with a giant thud. I was in the third step of my morning routine: turning on the radio to listen to B96, the most popular station at that time. Just as I was turning up the volume on my stereo my mom walked into my room. “Peggy died this morning.”
That was all it took, just four simple words for my world to be turned upside-down. I was in shock, a comatose stance. I stared blankly at the wall for what seemed like hours, but ended up being mere minutes. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I kept replaying the last words she said to me a little over a week before, “Have fun in Washington, D.C. Liz. I’ll see you when you get back home; let’s have afternoon coffee.”
Peggy Davis, 42, was my next-door-neighbor and inevitably my mom’s best friend. Our families were so close that we would go on vacation together; celebrate the holidays, and just talk. We were more than just friendly, we were family. Peggy had been fighting a battle against breast cancer for over three years. It progressed to her bones and eventually overtook her body.
Breast cancer is not uncommon amongst people in the United States. It seems everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), one out of eight American women who live to be 85 years of age will develop breast cancer, a risk that was one out of 14 in 1960.
This statistic frightens me, both for my own future and the women in my life. I have to remind myself that breast cancer treatment has come a long way in the last decade and will continue to improve as new therapy options arise.
Peggy underwent the most standard form of therapy: radiation and chemotherapy. Doctors attempted radiation first in order to use beams of energy to kill the cancer cells. When that proved unsuccessful, doctors turned to a more fierce form of treatment in chemotherapy. According to the Mayo Clinic chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. If a patient has a high chance of the cancer returning or spreading to another part of the body then chemotherapy is recommended to decrease the chance the cancer will recur.
I remember the day Peggy decided she would undergo chemotherapy. It was late afternoon and her and my mom were enjoying a cup of coffee as my sister and I sat at the table listening to them laughing and joking back and forth. All of sudden, Peggy got up from the table, walked to her bathroom and brought back her son’s hair trimmer. “Come on, Amanda,” she said to my sister. “Since I’m going to lose it anyway, you might as well shave it off.”
Peggy always remained positive and never let anyone see her upset. Needless to say we were ecstatic when we heard the news her cancer was in remission. It was over a year later that she started complaining about seeing spots in the corner of her eyes. My mom would constantly bug her about getting it checked out, but she kept saying it was nothing. When she finally saw the doctor they discovered her cancer had spread to her brain. Shortly after that it spread to her bones, which is incurable. I went on a school trip to Washington, D.C. and she passed away at home a few days after I got back. I still feel guilty that I never went next-door when my mom would go over to say hello or rather good bye, but she was so frail and seemed like she was in pain that I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. Her death made me realize that even though the cancer was in remission, it is not a sure sign of a cure.
Although there are new treatments and precautions to take, there are always going to be deaths due to breast cancer. According to the ACS, an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year. Furthermore, 40,610 breast cancer deaths are anticipated this year. This statistic makes me feel insignificant. That my one story could mean so much to me, yet be a small chapter in a series of novels. I also feel more connected to people because of this. It turns into a daily therapy session when you speak to other people who have gone through this.
I talked to a co-worker whose 75-year-old mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, as well.
“It was a shock to me because it’s something you never really expect to happen to someone you love. I’m just trying to stay positive and remind her that this is not a death sentence anymore, but rather a bump in the road,” Angela Shaw, of Danvers, Ill., said.
With the growing number of breast cancer cases yearly, there are also ways for people to get involved with finding a cure, especially in October. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Pinktober as people see tiny pink ribbons plastered on everything from trees to t-shirts. There are a number of charities that help breast cancer research such as Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the National Breast Cancer Coalition. The
The ISU campus is not an exception in raising awareness of breast cancer and donations. For example, the Swing Dance Club offered “Swing Dance for Breast Cancer Awareness.” The most important thing is to make sure the donation goes to a credible foundation. Donating to breast cancer foundations and supporting people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer are two of the most beneficial things students can do.
“As someone whose personal life has been affected more than just once by breast cancer deaths it’s encouraging to see others take an interest in promoting awareness. It’s vital for people, not just women, to get involved,” Breanne Sergent, senior communications student, said.
As I pin on my pink ribbon before I leave for work I glance at myself in the mirror and smile. Peggy is always on my mind and I know she would be proud of my accomplishments as well as the advances medicine have made. I am honored to call her my second mother as I know she would be honored to consider me another daughter.