By Tiffany Green
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN —
Judy Adamson
Judy Adamson was living life to the fullest. She had a wonderful family, a good job and enjoyed the small things, when one Saturday she felt something.
“I had gotten out of the shower and was putting on lotion when I felt something,” she said.
In her mind, she knew it was breast cancer.
She found the lump on a Saturday and on Monday morning she was at the doctors office.
“On Monday I saw my surgeon and on Tuesday I had a biopsy,” Judy said. “The moment they told us was when they did the biopsy and it is all a blur.”
Judy was officially diagnosed with stage two poorly differentiated invasive mammary carcinoma cancer on October 16.
“It was like total shock,” she said. “I ad no family history of breast cancer.”
Judy’s daughter and husband joined her at the doctor’s office for the news.
“I was ok until I saw my daughter and she just broke down,” she said.
On November 13, Adamson had a radical mastectomy where both breast were removed.
“I wanted them to take both breast if it came back bad,” she said.
Judy went through eight chemotherapy treatments. She said the treatments were tough on her body.
“The thing that bothered me the most was weight gain,” she said. “I gained 40 pounds.”
One of the hardest things for her was losing her long, blonde locks.
“I lost my hair after about the third treatment,” she said. “It came out in handfuls and one of my best friends came over and shaved my head.”
Before the cancer, she kept her hair long, but now that it’s finally growing back, she will probably keep it short.
“That was one of the most upsetting,” she said.
During her hair loss, she kept a wig or hat on.
“Now that it is growing back, I don’t wear my wig. It is too hot,” she smiled.
During the ordeal, Judy remained strong for her family.
“I stayed strong, but there were moments when I broke down. I always had a good attitude and never felt sorry for myself.
While going through her treatments, she did not go back to work, but remembers how special her supervisors were to her.
“I found out who my true friends were,” she said. “I had two supervisors at Topre that did whatever they had to to help me. I have thanked them so many times.”
Judy now wants to get the word out to all to do self breast exams.
“To be honest, I didn’t always check myself, but I want to tell people to check themselves,” she said. “Go get a mammogram. Even if you don’t have a family history, you can get it.”
Judy has been home since her surgery and chemotherapy.
“I can’t go back to my job because of the type of work it is,” she said. “After chemo, you are a different person. I have to take care of myself now.”
Judy is now involved with Relay for Life and attending this year for the first time as a survivor.
“I did the survivor walk and saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time,” she said. “We just broke down and hugged.”
Cabri Adams
Six-year-old Cabri Adams wanted to do something in honor of her mom who survived breast cancer.
Dana Adams battled breast cancer being diagnosed while she was pregnant with Cabri. Dana gave birth to Cabri at 38 weeks and just days later she had surgery to remove the tumor.
Within three weeks, Dana had a baby, had two surgeries and started chemotherapy.
Dana has now been cancer free for seven years. When Cabri said she wanted to grow her hair out for Locks-of-Love, Dana was so proud.
“A friend had her hair cut and she wanted to also when I explained to her what is was,” Dana said.
She grew her hair the 10 inches she needed to in order to have it cut for Locks-of-Love.
“My friend did it and I wanted to do it too,” Cabri said.
“I’m proud of her,” Dana said of Cabri. “I think anybody will be lucky to get her beautiful hair. A child that is sick will be lucky to receive it.”
Denise Hardin
It was her 36th birthday and instead of celebrating, she was mourning the death of her grandmother.
“My grandmother had died on my birthday and then I found a lump and I just knew it was cancer,” Denise Hardin said.
It was February of 1999, when Denise found something she had always worried about.
Hardin has a family history of cancer. She had four aunts with breast cancer, and only one survived. Her father had thyroid cancer and her mother had melanoma and both of her maternal grandparents had cancer.
Not only was Hardin worried about the upcoming surgery, she had more bad news waiting for her.
“Three days before my mastectomy, I found out I had something on my thyroid,” she said.
She had a mastectomy on April 7 and went back to have her thyroid removed on May 8.
“It was two different tumors that were not connected,” she said of having two different cancer at the same time.
Doctors told Hardin she was about one in 300,000 diagnosed with different cancers within six months of each other.
Because of her family history of cancer, and her young age, she was considered a high risk patient.
Soon after her surgery, she began chemotherapy. She had eight treatments over six months.
“The hardest part was when my hair started falling out,” she said. “When you have to stop and unclog the shower to finish your shower, it is hard.”
She then cut her long hair short and asked her husband to shave it.
“It was hard for him,” she said. “But we went on the back porch one day and he shaved it for me.”
Denise said some of her fellow employees also shaved their heads in support of her.
“I had my days when I had pity party’s, but I was also very fortunate.”
Denise was never alone. A family member was at every doctor visit with her.
“My sister was able to bring me to all my treatments,” she said. “Through the whole time of going through the surgery and treatment, I was never alone. My family was always with me. I made it through it with a lot of prayers.”
Through the ordeal, Denise said she kept her faith.
“I know I couldn’t have done it without prayers and support from my family.”
Denise is now a 10 year cancer survivor, but still has her worries.
“I try to take things as they come, but whenever you get sick, it is hard not to think something may be wrong. I’m always so nervous when I have to go to the doctor.”
Just last week, her co-workers at Harmony School cafeteria gave her a special filled with pink ribbons, pink roses and sweet treats.
Denise is now more aware of cancer and its effects and hasn’t missed a Relay for Life since her sickness.
* Tiffany Green can be reached by e-mail at tgreen@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.
