Tarre Beach
The woman next door is a survivor is a series of stories about incredible women in the community that have overcome a mountain of obstacles with a relentless and fearless attitude. In 1992, Karen Moore was 29 and newly married to her husband Richard when she found a lump in her breast. A biopsy found it was benign. She had surgery and felt like everything was fine. A few months later, she found another lump and this time it was positive for cancer. She had another surgery and started radiation and chemo shortly after.
During treatment, she and Richard went on vacation. When Karen returned from vacation, she thought she might have caught a stomach bug because she didn’t feel well. She went to her doctor for a follow-up and found out she was pregnant.
In 1994, Karen gave birth to a healthy baby girl and shortly after was given a clean bill of health. As recommended, Karen returned for regular mammograms and checkups and for the last 30 years, Karen has remained cancer free.
Earlier this year Karen’s doctor found a nodule growing in her breast. A biopsy determined it was cancer. This time around, Karen has decided to take a more aggressive approach for peace of mind. “Finding something, getting a biopsy, having surgery, going through treatment and waiting between each step is a lot of worry to have on your mind. I just feel so much better doing it this way.”
Karen knows that there is no guarantee that the cancer won’t come back, but given that she fought cancer before and won, she’s determined to tackle her latest diagnosis aggressively. She says comparing how she feels now to how she felt 30 years ago, she feels even stronger and sure that she wants to live life and not sit back and let it pass her by.
One of the first things Karen wants to do once she recovers is travel. She’s hoping to visit the continent of Africa and go to Morocco with her husband Richard and her family.
“I believe God is using me to be a testimony of his strength. I think I’m ready for the next part of my journey.”
AdventHealth for Women
This month, in partnership with AdventHealth for Women, we’re recognizing some of the women in our community who are survivors of breast cancer, who have had a recurrence, or who are currently going through treatment. To us, all of these women are survivors in their own right. It is the hope of these women that by telling their stories they inspire and educate other women who are facing a breast cancer diagnosis.
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