October is well-known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. People raise money and make donations to numerous Breast Cancer Awareness Foundations. We see pink ribbons put up everywhere showing support for those who have battled or are currently battling breast cancer. Schools all over have a volleyball and football game called “Pink Out,” where everyone is encouraged to wear pink to show support and raise awareness of this illness.

Currently, there are an estimated 3 million women who are living with breast cancer. By the end of 2019, it is expected that 268,000 women will be diagnosed. So far, there have been 41,000 deaths from breast cancer reported in this year alone.

Being diagnosed with cancer is not something that is easy to deal with. But also, watching someone you love, whether it be a parent, a family member, a close family friend, a coworker, or even a teacher face the toughest trials one could go through in life is hard.

“When I found out my mom had it, it felt like someone sucker punched me in the chest because we are very close, and I lost an aunt and cousin from it,” Coach La’Tamera Fry said. “But not before I watched them slowly deteriorate. All of those images came back in the idea of having to see my mom like that hurt.”

Fry’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2015. She has been in remission for 3 years and is currently doing well.

Finding out a loved or someone close to you has cancer is not an easy thing, and you may not know how to react or what to do.

“She and my dad came to visit me, and we went to dinner and they told me,” Fry said. “Initially, I was scared and sad, but after praying and praying with her, I trusted God to see her through.”

Battling cancer is not something you can do alone. You need people around you to help you through your battle and be a support system that will be encouraging and uplifting. If you are watching a loved one or someone close to you battle cancer, it can be very difficult to experience and you may need your own support system.

“She tried to handle it on her own, but she opened up to me and we both turned to God,” Fry said. “My ministry family helped me a great deal too because they were able to pray with me and I was able to talk to them and get godly counsel instead of a pity party. It was really hard to see her like that. She didn’t do chemo, but she did medication and radiation. She sent me pictures of how the radiation burned her so badly and that was definitely hard to see. My mom is usually pretty strong so to see her struggle and even be fearful did not sit well with me  because I couldn’t fix it, and I couldn’t really be there to help her through it.”

Going through a battle with cancer will affect your life at home as a parent, at work, and it presents new challenges to face. Most will try and find things to distract them from their treatments and the challenges set before them.

“Me and my sister were both grown, but she couldn’t come visit me as much as she was accustomed and she couldn’t go to my niece’s events very often,” Fry said. “She was also concerned that it was genetic and that me or my sister would get it. She still worked full time and when she felt up to it, she would work in her sewing room.”

When there is a family member, a close friend, or a teacher in school that has a cancer diagnosis, the best thing you can do for them is show them love, kindness, and support.

October is the only month considered Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but just because there is only one month out of the year set aside to raise awareness and show support, you still need to show support throughout the other 11 months of the year. Those battling cancer need support every day of the year in their battle with cancer.

“As with anything else, love, patience, understanding and compassion go a long way,” Fry said. “If you see things that need to be done around the house or in the classroom, help out. Don’t cause any unnecessary stress for your parents or teachers, whether they have cancer or not. When you always treat parents and teachers with love and respect, you don’t have to try and shift gears when something happens. I trusted God with my mom’s care and He guided me in how to help because I would have been a total mess otherwise.”

Liz Rodgers, a teacher at KHS, was diagnosed with breast cancer in Feb. of 2014, and has been in remission for five years.

When she first found out she was diagnosed she was scared and shocked, but she turned to those she had as her support system, her sister-in-law.

During her battle with cancer, she did not have any parenting challenges as she did not have children, and it did not affect her work as a teacher much either.

“Not at all,” Liz said about her work being affected while battling with cancer. “I missed two days of school.”

She decided to tell her students about her diagnosis, and they were there for her through her journey.

“I told them about it,” Liz said. “They were very concerned and supportive.”

Words of advice that Liz gives to others facing cancer are, “Use your support system. Take it one day at a time.”

Breast Cancer is a serious disease, and patients need to catch as early on as they can. Early common signs of breast cancer are skin changes, such as swelling, redness, or other visible differences; an increase in size or change in shape of the breast(s), or changes in the appearance in one or both breast. If you or someone you know has any of these symptoms, go and get checked by a medical professional.

Come out and show your support for your teams and for breast cancer awareness at the volleyball and football games on Oct. 11, both at home. We wear pink, and we fight with those who hurt.