What cancer taught me

Life offers few obstacles more intimidating than a cancer diagnosis; it is widely reported as one of the leading causes of death worldwide with incredibly unforgiving symptoms. 

Though 39.9% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, it produces a hearty group of survivors with a five-year relative survival rate of 68.1%, according to the National Cancer Institute data.

Each June, National Cancer Survivor Month is celebrated to recognize the millions of survivors who lived through the life-changing journey accompanying a cancer diagnosis.

JoJo DeBord

After her first-ever mammogram at the age of 40, Yoakum-area resident JoJo DeBord was crushed when diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2019.

“I was devastated. I have a little girl with special needs and a little boy. So they were the first ones I thought of, and the fear of leaving them,” DeBord said.

Though she was careful not to use the word “cancer” around the house, DeBord began chemotherapy on New Year’s Eve in 2019 with the support of her husband, Jesse. To maintain a fighting spirit, she relied on the advice and positivity from cancer survivors in her life like her cousin Jennifer Cooper, her mother-in-law Nancy Debord and her friend RoAnn Sitka.

Nine rounds of chemotherapy, several procedures, and about a year for reconstruction later, DeBord emerged from treatment cancer free with a new outlook on life.

“Now, I feel like I'm here to help those that are going through it now or in the future,” DeBord said. “I want to be the person to tell them that it can turn out (alright), and it's going to be great, and it's just a phase in your life. It's a speed bump that's going to slow you down for a year or so, but you're going to get past it.”

Deborah Morrow

Though patients have no easy experiences with cancer, the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying precautions made the journey even more isolating for many cancer patients like Shiner resident Deborah Morrow. 

After undergoing a test that her gynecologist prefaced with saying he was 99% sure it wouldn’t uncover cancer, Morrow said she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. A follow-up hysterectomy in April 2020 confirmed the presence of Stage 3 ovarian cancer.

Morrow recalled a nurse walking in while she was crying after receiving the diagnosis. The nurse offered a hug before remembering that the Covid-19 related protocols prohibited her from comforting patients in such a way.

“After my first round of chemo, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I got really dehydrated; I felt horrible. I said to the nurses, ‘If this is how I’m going to be after the first round of Chemo, what’s going to happen after I have six rounds?’ I said, ‘I’m never going to make it,’” recalled Morrow.

Thankfully, her doctor altered the treatment, and Morrow quickly began to see positive trends in her recovery. By December 2020, she had completed treatment.

“One thing I learned was cancer doesn’t just affect you; it affects everyone around you that loves you…,” said Morrow. “Unfortunately, the disease is not (isolated) to the person receiving the treatment.”

Dimple Grichar

When her doctor discovered a cancerous lump during an annual check-up in March 2019, Yoakum community resident Dimple Grichar relied on the wisdom of a cancer survivor in her support system to guide her through treatment.

Grichar’s cancer was “pea-sized” when her doctor first recognized it, only five months after a mammogram that showed no cancerous results. 

“I called a friend that previously had breast cancer, and hers was a lot worse than mine when they found hers,” said Grichar of RoAnn Sitka. “The first thing she told me, and this was the best thing anyone could share, ‘It is not a death sentence. Cancer is not always a death sentence.’ And that was very relieving because I knew what she had been through.”

In addition to Sitka’s advice, Grichar credits her faith in God and positive mentality with helping her through the diagnosis.

“I’ve always been a happy-go-lucky type of person. With a name like Dimple, you better have a different personality,” Grichar said. “(Cancer) probably made me stronger in my faith. And everybody’s told me, ‘Dimple, you’ve had such a good attitude throughout the whole thing.’ I think that’s the key.”

Grichar survived cancer with a strengthened positive outlook and gratitude for life after a lumpectomy and about six weeks of radiation.