Survivors
*Editor’s note: This is the debut of a 4-part series focusing on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as those who have underwent the battle – and won – share their experiences.
Sweetwater – Cindy Cable is a miracle. Just ask her – she will be glad to share her story with you.
Cable is a daughter, wife, mother, mamaw, child of God – and breast-cancer survivor.
Cable wasn’t too concerned when she scratched an itch under her arm and felt two lumps, but she did speed up her yearly physical with Sylva Family Practice as a precaution. She made the discovery in October 2022 and saw the doctor soon afterward.
After her mammogram, she received the news that every woman fears: she had two tumors in her left breast. After tests and more tests, she was told the tumors were the size of quarters, and they were malignant.
“My doctor at Sylva called to give me the news and after he shared my diagnosis, he prayed with me,” Cable recalled. “I knew that God was with me, and that He would take care of me. I had peace.”
Cindy found comfort in her faith and her family. She was supported by husband Dwayne, son Cain, daughter-in-law Katelyn, grandson Jameson and daughter Dequina, as well as her mother Nellie Hall and her church family at Dry Creek Baptist Church.
The tests concluded that the tumors were being fed by hormones – which meant that as long as her body was producing hormones, the cancer cells were feeding. Not only was she scheduled to take chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but she would be taking endocrine therapy as well.
Doctors told her to prepare a place in her home designated as “a place where she could be sick.”
The end of 2022 found Cable and her family preparing for surgery and treatment. She was scheduled for surgery at Haywood Surgical Associates on Feb. 14, 2023.
During the 8-hour surgery, the surgeon made a discovery he had not been expecting. It was such a gamechanger that he actually called Cable’s husband mid-procedure to share the news: the two tumors in Cable’s breast had crystallized and formed cocoons. The tumors seemed to be enclosed in their own cocoons and facing each other.
They were contained, centralized inside the shells like peanuts protecting her body from the spreading of cancer cells.
Dwayne received the best Valentine’s Day gift ever when the surgeon called him about the surgical discovery.
This meant that Cindy would not need chemotherapy or radiation treatments: she would continue the endocrine therapy to prevent hormones from being produced, but God heard the prayers and gave her an answer she is still praising Him for today.
Cable loves to tell others how the Lord healed her of breast cancer, though she sometimes finds herself feeling guilty of the blessings she has been given.
When she goes to the hospital for her endocrine therapy, she sees others receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments and sometimes asks, “Why me?”
She wonders why the Lord chose to bless her this way and not others. She didn’t lose her hair to chemotherapy. She didn’t have to deal with the sickness and the pain that goes along with many treatments.
She doesn’t understand, but she is thankful. She knows God knows best, and she is trusting Him to allow her to share her story of survival and tell others about Him.
As you welcome the colorful leaves of autumn, the pumpkin lattes, crisp mornings and cool evenings known as October, do not forget to recognize this month of Breast Cancer Awareness: a time to educate, investigate and celebrate.
This is the first week of October. There are 31 days in the month: please take the time to schedule mammograms and yearly physicals. Learn to do self-examinations monthly and note changes in your body.
Knowing what to look for and where to go for help is the first step in the breast cancer journey. In their lifetime, 1-in-8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
If you have a family history of breast cancer, please talk to your physician about other tests that you may need.