I am a believer that nothing happens by chance. In fact, the more I study scripture, the Old and New Testaments, the prophesy and fulfillment, I am ever more aware that God wrote the story long ago, even the victorious ending that is to come. He is Sovereign over all, and this means He has written my story as well. I have started to see my life with Him as an adventure and am increasingly amazed at how the details are always His design and for a reason.
Today’s post is about just that. I had no idea that when I walked through through the doors of Suite 101 of a building on Quarterfield Road for a job interview, that I was about to become part of something really special. It was 2010 and the therapy position I was in had me spending way too many hours behind a computer rather than with patients. So I contacted the owner of Arundel Physical Therapy and Fitness to see if they had any need for a part-time therapist. I arrived to an informal interview with Bud Ward, PT and pretty quickly felt that this was a place I would really like to work.
After working at APTF for about a year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember clearly my phone call to Bud to tell him my news and prepare him that I might be missing some work. I remember his concern was not about how our patients would be covered or if it might mean more work for him, he was sincerely concerned about me and my family. He was responding from a place of already knowing firsthand what a Breast cancer journey looked like. Bud’s mom, Donna had been diagnosed with Stage IV Breast cancer five years prior. I could choose to think this was a just a coincidence but I don’t. I believe that God put Bud in my life at such a time as that so that we would be able to support one another for what the next few years would bring.
Throughout the months of treatment that took me out of work, my Arundel PT family continued to be a key source of support for me. And when the much anticipated time for me to return to work came, Bud welcomed me back without question. After some time of being back to work, Bud’s mom passed away. Although our Breast cancer stories are much different, I was able to offer support to Bud from a place of knowing firsthand what a Breast cancer journey felt like.
A few of my Arundel Physical Therapy and Fitness family including Bud (second from the right) who participated with Kara’s Krew in the Race for the Cure.
Unfortunately, Bud and I don’t get to work together any longer but our friendship remains. He is one of the greatest supporters of my writing as he donated his time to teach me everything I know about building a blog site. He blogs himself at Essentialist Dad where he seeks to help other dads make room for the important things. I have asked him to guest blog here at Pinked so we could hear more of Warrior Donna’s story…
My mom, Donna Wootten, was a warrior decades before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She survived childhood issues, domestic violence, and the struggles of being a single parent. When I was a kid, she would say “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” whenever difficult challenges would arise.
When she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, she was scared like most people. She was also a little frustrated with herself because she had detected a small lump a while before she went to the doctor. She told me that she didn’t get it checked earlier because she was scared that it was something bad. During that time, she was also taking care of other family members who were battling serious health issues.
After her diagnosis, she had a unilateral mastectomy and removal of twelve lymph nodes. Eleven of the twelve lymph nodes tested positive and she was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Further testing showed significant metastasis throughout the bones in her body, but her organs were clear.
Many people at this stage would have shut down and waited for the inevitable conclusion, but my mom decided to fight. She was determined to maintain as much quality of life as long as possible. Her doctors recommended chemotherapy and radiation to slow the progression of her cancer, but my mom decided to do some research to find other options. She found a treatment that at the time was not as common. My mom presented her findings to her oncologist and he agreed that it was a reasonable course of treatment in her situation.
For the first five years after diagnosis, her tumor markers remained low, her scans were stable, and she remained at a high functional level. Her response was not typical and her doctors didn’t really have an explanation other than her positive mental outlook, her faith, and her sense of humor. They said that these factors gave her the best possible chance to stay as healthy as possible.
During the first few years of her breast cancer journey, she became involved with an organization called Women Supporting Women. The organization gave her a platform to share her thoughts and wisdom with other women who were beginning the same journey. My mom was interviewed on a public access TV show and became a mentor who helped guide other women through the process.
She was an advocate for educating yourself and never assuming that your doctors have all of the answers – Ask Questions. She emphasized maintaining a positive outlook and a sense of humor even in the face of fear and uncertainty. During the time after she was diagnosed, she rediscovered passions that she had given up because of taking care of family and other life responsibilities.
Her example reminded me not to take things, people, or time for granted. She taught me not to give up on my passions, to spend time developing my talents, and to look for ways to serve others. Her story, in her own words, can be found on the Women Supporting Women website “Stories” page at https://womensupportingwomen.org/Stories.aspx under Donna Wootten. I didn’t know that her post existed until last week, but I found it while writing this article. {Thanks Mom!} I’ve included the final paragraph because it captures her message well.
“THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS THIS: Keep a positive attitude, use lots of humor, look at your situation as a challenge and accept the challenge with determination, refuse to be a victim of this disease, look toward the future and do whatever makes you feel good, strong, in control and empowered. DON’T Be afraid to ask questions or to ask for tests to be done. It is, after all, YOUR body and YOUR life. It may not change anything, but you’ll never know unless you ASK!! AND ABOVE ALL, turn to GOD and trust in Him. Man can only give you options, but GOD can give you miracles!! As long as you are on this side of the dirt, there’s HOPE!!! Never give up and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE!!!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL”
Warrior Donna with her grandchildren on Halloween several years ago
[…] Warrior Donna […]