Mary Eades: ‘Cancer did not define me’
Editor's note:
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to bring focus on this disease that affects both women and men, Meridian Community College will host the Queen City Race for Life and Street Strut Saturday, Oct. 21, beginning at 8 a.m. on the MCC Track. The event pays tribute to breast cancer survivors, increases breast cancer awareness, and raises funds for the Anderson Cancer Patient Benevolence Fund.
Four ambassadors for the race are to be honored this year: Barbara Burnett, Donna Creel, Mary Eades, and Mack Phillips. Burnett, Creel, and Eades are breast cancer survivors; Phillips was his wife's caregiver. All expressed their faith as instrumental in their journeys.
Ten years ago, Mary Eades learned she had breast cancer during her annual breast exam.
Today, this vibrant 73-year-old mother of four and grandmother of five is an encourager for those struggling on this path. "There will be days and times when you feel like giving up. If you talk to God and ask Him for strength, He certainly will," Eades said.
When she learned of her Stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis, Eades said she felt sad, hurt, and disappointed. For the first few days, she kept the news to herself, processing and praying and eventually telling her only sister, Mrs. Erma Bryant, who was in the midst of her own breast cancer journey for over 12 years. "She encouraged me so much by reminding me of how strong I was and that everything was going to be okay," Eades said.
Eades underwent chemotherapy for six months and had a left radical mastectomy. The chemo treatments affected her legs, and Eades had to learn to walk again.
"My biggest self-discovery was that my situation does not define me; cancer did not define me," she said.
"I gained strength in telling others of my journey and encouraging others to keep looking up to God because you don't draw any strength looking down," she added.
Eades would rely on that strength, for as she was beginning her breast cancer journey, Eade's sister passed way. "If not for God and my family, I would not have made it through," she remembered.
Eades described herself as stronger and wiser; she turned to God for her ultimate support. And she said her family, friends, and her Fairview Baptist Church family helped her "more than I could ever express."
What message would she give to others? Eades stressed, "Continue to look up to God! Stand on His promise and remember that I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me (Phil 4:13).”
To learn more about Queen City Race for Life and Street Strut, visit meridiancc.edu/streetstrut.