Breast Cancer survivor Cindy Scott’s advice: Yearly mammograms are vital
Cindy Scott
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's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international academic honor society for community and junior college students, will host the Queen City Race for Life and Street Strut Saturday, Oct. 22, beginning at 8 a.m. at the College's Damon Fitness Center. The event pays tribute to breast cancer survivors, increases breast cancer awareness, and raises funds for the Anderson Cancer Patient Benevolence Fund.
The chapter honors four ambassadors this year, Ronnie Key, Terrey Roberts, Cindy Scott, and Cassandra Tyson. Roberts, Scott, and Tyson are breast cancer survivors; Key was his wife's caregiver, who succumbed to breast cancer. All expressed their faith as instrumental in their journeys.
"I can't stress enough the importance of getting a yearly mammogram."
That's the advice Cindy Scott gives to others because it was an annual test that discovered her breast cancer in August 2018. After follow-up studies and a biopsy, she received the news no one wanted to hear: She had breast cancer.
"I was overwhelmed with emotions," Scott said, remembering how she felt when she learned of her diagnosis – ductal carcinoma in situ, Stage 0 breast cancer. Her treatment included a lumpectomy and four weeks of radiation. Though she did not have to undergo rounds of chemotherapy, she today continues her five-year treatment by taking Letrozole. This medicine targets breast cancer and can help prevent cancer from returning.
Throughout her journey, Scott said her faith has been paramount. "We know in our minds that God is always there with us, but why is it so hard for our hearts to get the message right off?" she said, adding, "but my heart got the message that I was not fighting this battle alone, God was already at work fighting for me."
Scott said she is thankful for her family, friends, and church family's support. "Right off, my fight became their fight," she said. It was their love, support, encouragement, and, she said, "most of all their prayers. I'm a true believer in the power of prayer! When we work, we work; when we pray, God works."
With early detection and diagnosis, Scott said the chances of beating breast cancer are greater. To others who may face the same situation as she did in August 2018, Scott encourages them. "Looking at the big picture can be too overwhelming. Take one step at a time, one thing at a time," she said.