Some people say cancer survivors are a sign of strength. Others say they are signs of courage. We all have our own words to describe these amazing individuals, but for the Longview Cattle Baron?s Society a cancer survivor is a sign of hope.
This year, Kathi Holbert, owner of Louis Morgan Drug in Longview, will be honored as Longview Cattle Baron's Sign of Hope, a title given each year to a man or woman who has fought cancer and won. Kathi, now 55, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, two days before her 50th birthday. It wasn't exactly the present she had in mind.
Now six years cancer-free, this happy, healthy mother of two is supporting others and encouraging all women to be their own advocate.
"You must know your own body. My story shows the importance of being aware," Kathi said. "Become your own advocate and learn your body."
The cancer
Kathi never missed her yearly check up. Once a year she would dutifully go to her doctor, everything would look good and she would go home. That's even how it happened the year she found out she had cancer.
"I went for my checkup in October and everything looked clear," she said. "The very next month I felt a lump, but I thought to myself, 'I just had a mammogram. There's no way.' I decided to wait one more month to see if the lump was still there."
After Christmas, Kathi called her doctor and explained that the lump seemed to have grown, and she went to a general surgeon for a sonogram. Nothing showed up, but both Kathi and the general surgeon knew it was there. The next day she got the phone call. It was confirmed – she had cancer.
"I couldn't believe it," Kathi said. "The toughest part was that I looked at my kids and my husband while we were putting away the Christmas decorations and wondered, 'Am I going to be here to get to do this next year?' I was heartbroken."
The bright side
After her surgeries (three in 10 days) she began her chemo treatment and decided to make lemonade out of the lemons life was dealing her.
"Losing my hair was pretty traumatic, but I decided instead of giving into this evil disease, I would gain something from it," Kathi said. "I wasn't going to let it steal my joy. So, I lost my hair? It was kind of nice not having to shave my legs or do my eyebrows."
It was difficult, she admits, but she tried her best to maintain her humor, and she looked to the things that made her happiest in her life.
"The three Fs - faith, family and friends. My wonderful husband would do anything in the world for me ... all he wanted was for me to be healthy," she said. "We also have such wonderful people helping us here at Louis Morgan. I trust everyone on board and they took care of everything here for me while I was recovering."
The lifelines
When Kathi was diagnosed, all she wanted to do was to talk to somebody, anybody who had survived cancer. She wanted advice, encouragement or just some added support from someone who could relate to her situation. She knows that she can't be the only woman who feels this way, so she wants to be a lifeline to anyone who needs it.
"It's almost like I was given a gift. I can do so much to help other people who desperately need support," she said. "Once you survive cancer and push through it, all you want to do is help people who have been diagnosed. You want to be their lifeline, as I call it. Everybody needs a lifeline – it's a tie that binds us all together; it's a support system."
