Women’s Stories Drive Home Importance Of Early Diagnosis
May 6, 2017 at 2:55 a.m.
Women’s Stories Drive Home Importance Of Early Diagnosis
By Deb McAuliffe Sprong-
Plummer, 73, Warsaw, and Forbes, 80, Winona Lake, were both diagnosed with breast cancer.
Plummer has been cancer-free more than 12 years.
Forbes’ cancer had metastasized by the time she was diagnosed. There’s no cure in her future, and she knows it.
Plummer went to the doctor right way.
Forbes didn’t.
The women met recently while sharing their stories to promote Relay for Life.
Even there, their experiences are different.
Forbes, who’s been to two Relays, says she’s “really just getting acquainted” with the annual event.
Plummer, on the other hand, has been active with the Relay for years. She’s been the entertainment chairman or worked on the survivor dinner, and this year is doing both.
“I keep saying this is my last year, but then I keep going,” she said.
Forbes gave a big smile to Plummer as the two women met. “It’s encouraging to know how long you’ve been in the battle,” she told her.
Quick Action
Plummer’s cancer diagnosis came in December 2004. She found a lump the size of a walnut in her breast on Dec. 11, leading to several tests and a biopsy. Four days before Christmas, she learned the truth.
“When they told me I had cancer, I was on the floor,” she said. “I just slid right off the chair onto the floor.”
Surgery was scheduled for Jan. 5, 2005, with Dr. Michael Grabowski in Fort Wayne. And she received the best news: “They got it all the first time,” she said.
She underwent chemo and radiation and, more than 12 years later, remains cancer-free.
While going for radiation one day at the Kosciusko Community Hospital Cancer Care Center, she noticed a flyer to come and see what Relay for Life was all about. “I knew I was going to join,” said Plummer, who also volunteers at KCH and as an usher at the Wagon Wheel.
Her busy life reinforces the message she would share with those facing cancer. “After cancer you can still have a very good life,” she said. “ ... I’m so proud to be a 13-year survivor (who) can help others.”
Fear And Delay
Forbes had always been afraid of doctors.
Since she’d been healthy her whole life, she said, she never got used to going to the doctor. So when she found her lump, she didn’t tell anyone. “I was just hoping it would go away,” she said.
It was months before she finally told someone. By then, the lump had developed into stage IV, or metastatic, breast cancer, which means it had spread to other parts of her body.
The doctor was frank about his plans moving forward: “We’re not going for a cure, we’re going for control,” he told her.
Forbes was ready for the battle ahead of her. “I’m a fighter,” she said, “and I really believe in not giving in to it. ...
“I told Dr. (Musaberk) Goksel at the beginning, my body is more than cancer. You focus on the cancer, and my primary care doctor and I will work on the rest of me.”
Her diagnosis came on April 26, 2013. She immediately made changes in her life.
She began eating better and started getting more exercise, and her hard work paid off. In 1-1/2 years she lost weight and brought her blood sugar and cholesterol to healthy levels. And last fall, at age 80, she walked her first 5K at a cancer fundraiser.
Forbes’ treatment has included several clinical trials, and the one she’s in now – her fifth – is showing good results, her doctor says. “I’m just so supportive of cancer research,” she said.
That’s one reason she attended her first Relay. She was aware of research work done by the American Cancer Society, so when she read about the Relay for Life in the newspaper, “out of curiosity I went to see what it was about,” she said.
Like so many others, she appreciates the support cancer patients find at a Relay.
“When you get that diagnosis it’s a very scary, lonely feeling,” she said. “(The Relay) is a connection to people who are fighting a similar battle.”
Forbes, who doesn’t fear doctors anymore, wants others to know her story so they don’t make the mistake she did.
“Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor,” she said. “I think that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. ... I have prayed that God would use me to inspire others to take care of themselves.”
And while some may think her prognosis is grim, Forbes doesn’t see it that way.
“When we trust the Shepherd, he guides us to the end of the journey and to a new life,” she said. “There are no potholes, no cancer out there.
“God is in control of the timeline.”
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Plummer, 73, Warsaw, and Forbes, 80, Winona Lake, were both diagnosed with breast cancer.
Plummer has been cancer-free more than 12 years.
Forbes’ cancer had metastasized by the time she was diagnosed. There’s no cure in her future, and she knows it.
Plummer went to the doctor right way.
Forbes didn’t.
The women met recently while sharing their stories to promote Relay for Life.
Even there, their experiences are different.
Forbes, who’s been to two Relays, says she’s “really just getting acquainted” with the annual event.
Plummer, on the other hand, has been active with the Relay for years. She’s been the entertainment chairman or worked on the survivor dinner, and this year is doing both.
“I keep saying this is my last year, but then I keep going,” she said.
Forbes gave a big smile to Plummer as the two women met. “It’s encouraging to know how long you’ve been in the battle,” she told her.
Quick Action
Plummer’s cancer diagnosis came in December 2004. She found a lump the size of a walnut in her breast on Dec. 11, leading to several tests and a biopsy. Four days before Christmas, she learned the truth.
“When they told me I had cancer, I was on the floor,” she said. “I just slid right off the chair onto the floor.”
Surgery was scheduled for Jan. 5, 2005, with Dr. Michael Grabowski in Fort Wayne. And she received the best news: “They got it all the first time,” she said.
She underwent chemo and radiation and, more than 12 years later, remains cancer-free.
While going for radiation one day at the Kosciusko Community Hospital Cancer Care Center, she noticed a flyer to come and see what Relay for Life was all about. “I knew I was going to join,” said Plummer, who also volunteers at KCH and as an usher at the Wagon Wheel.
Her busy life reinforces the message she would share with those facing cancer. “After cancer you can still have a very good life,” she said. “ ... I’m so proud to be a 13-year survivor (who) can help others.”
Fear And Delay
Forbes had always been afraid of doctors.
Since she’d been healthy her whole life, she said, she never got used to going to the doctor. So when she found her lump, she didn’t tell anyone. “I was just hoping it would go away,” she said.
It was months before she finally told someone. By then, the lump had developed into stage IV, or metastatic, breast cancer, which means it had spread to other parts of her body.
The doctor was frank about his plans moving forward: “We’re not going for a cure, we’re going for control,” he told her.
Forbes was ready for the battle ahead of her. “I’m a fighter,” she said, “and I really believe in not giving in to it. ...
“I told Dr. (Musaberk) Goksel at the beginning, my body is more than cancer. You focus on the cancer, and my primary care doctor and I will work on the rest of me.”
Her diagnosis came on April 26, 2013. She immediately made changes in her life.
She began eating better and started getting more exercise, and her hard work paid off. In 1-1/2 years she lost weight and brought her blood sugar and cholesterol to healthy levels. And last fall, at age 80, she walked her first 5K at a cancer fundraiser.
Forbes’ treatment has included several clinical trials, and the one she’s in now – her fifth – is showing good results, her doctor says. “I’m just so supportive of cancer research,” she said.
That’s one reason she attended her first Relay. She was aware of research work done by the American Cancer Society, so when she read about the Relay for Life in the newspaper, “out of curiosity I went to see what it was about,” she said.
Like so many others, she appreciates the support cancer patients find at a Relay.
“When you get that diagnosis it’s a very scary, lonely feeling,” she said. “(The Relay) is a connection to people who are fighting a similar battle.”
Forbes, who doesn’t fear doctors anymore, wants others to know her story so they don’t make the mistake she did.
“Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor,” she said. “I think that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. ... I have prayed that God would use me to inspire others to take care of themselves.”
And while some may think her prognosis is grim, Forbes doesn’t see it that way.
“When we trust the Shepherd, he guides us to the end of the journey and to a new life,” she said. “There are no potholes, no cancer out there.
“God is in control of the timeline.”
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