Special
Features /
October/November 2008
Learning to Live After Diagnosis
Four years ago Cindy Ray of Marietta, Ohio was diagnosed with breast cancer. Looking back, Ray says the experience was horrendous. Yet, the experience didn’t break Ray’s resolve. She looks at it as a bump in the road that made her a stronger person.
“Everything that happens to you is always for a reason,” she said. “[It has made me] a better person today. I am more understanding and compassionate toward others.”
It will be four years ago this coming February that Ray underwent a double mastectomy. After surgery everyday tasks like taking a shower became difficult. “It hurts to have water spray on your chest,” she said. To keep her spirits up, Ray remembered encouraging Bible scriptures such as Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me,” she quoted.
For years Ray went without breasts. The prosthesis she wore became hot and heavy, making her very uncomfortable, she said. This past January Ray decided to have re-constructive surgery performed by Dr. Yoak at Marietta Memorial Hospital.
Ray was hesitant to have surgery at first but once she made her decision, “it was well worth it,” she said. Ray said re-constructive surgery lifted her self esteem and made her feel more feminine again. “Just the joy of being able to go into a [clothing] store and have the clothes fit better and hang nicer [was a great experience],” she said.
Getting diagnosed with cancer is not the death penalty anymore, Ray said. “They have so many new treatments, that just because you have cancer doesn’t mean that it is the end of the world.”
According to Ray, her oncologist said she has a 3 to 4 percent chance of the cancer re-occurring. But Ray is not worried, because she said that percentage means that there is a greater risk of someone else getting breast cancer than hers re-occurring.
According to breastcancer.org, all women are at risk for getting breast cancer and that risk increases with age. The website showed a breast cancer risk factor of 14 percent for women, assuming a lifespan of 90 years.
Ray’s message of hope to those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer is, “As bleak as everything looks at the moment, you have to look at the end of the tunnel and know that there is hope and life and joy after it is all over.”
Ray is now retired from retail sales and spends her time raising her 9 year old grand-daughter Kalee. Her husband Jeffe is also retired.
Marietta Memorial Hospital hosts a general cancer support group at the Strecker Cancer Center on Tuesdays Sept. 23, Oct. 28, Nov. 25, and Dec. 23. at 7 p.m.
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