On a Saturday Morning, Laura found a lump during a self-check breast examination. Laura had been doing these self-checks on the 6th of each month because her older daughter and she were holding each other accountable and following Channel 6’s Buddy Check 6 plan. She was 54 years old, and an English teacher at North Augusta High School.
After the discovery of the lump, she was able to schedule an appointment with her family doctor the following Monday. Then a few days later she saw Dr. Randy Cooper, who made an unsuccessful attempt at a needle biopsy. Laura was then given a lumpectomy. Dr. Cooper called to let her know the lump was stage-two breast cancer.
It was decided that Dr. Cooper would do a mastectomy and that Dr. Billy Lynn, a plastic surgeon, would do a tram flap, a procedure that requires a section of tissue to be pulled up through the abdomen to the chest to build a new breast. On June 26th, Laura had a mastectomy, reconstruction surgery, and a bonus hysterectomy, a complication of surgeries that lasted over seven hours.
Following later in July, Laura started chemotherapy, which went on for seven months. During this time, she tried to maintain a sense of normalcy. She felt that with her faith in God and the support of family and friends, she could overcome this event in her life.
After chemotherapy had been overcome, she endured twenty-eight days of radiation. She soon started taking a tiny pill called Arimidex which is a preventive pill, used to hopefully stop a recurrence. She slowly began to regain her strength.
Laura states that she learned life is so precious and furthermore she has become more thankful for the privilege of being alive. After fifteen years, she was released by her oncologist and was told she was considered cured. She is extremely happy to be alive.
Pictured: Laura and her husband, Joseph Lusk.
Photo Credit: Emma Carter
header.all-comments