"I had three surgeries in two months at my community hospital. Two others were at Southeast, as was my radiation therapy. Everyone -- from the Radiology staff to the staff on the surgical unit to the staff at the Regional Cancer Center -- was great. The staff at the Cancer Center was right there for me. They took me under their wing and helped me every step of the way.

They helped me learn that cancer is not a death sentence. You just take it and run with it. The support I received was awesome! 

That's why another cancer survivor and I began a support group in Dexter. We're now affiliated with the American Cancer Society, and we're in the process of starting a loan closet with all kinds of supplies for cancer patients.

The support we've gotten from our community has been wonderful -- thanks to the community, we raised $10,000 for the American Cancer Society at a special luminary service we sponsored in the summer of 1999. My illness has taught me a lot -- most of all, that life is precious -- every minute of it."