don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.’

During the month set aside for awareness, a breast cancer survivor shares her experience

HARROGATE, Tenn. — Full of energy, enthusiasm and an obvious love for life, Sherry Wilson hasn’t let breast cancer beat her.

“You have to live each day to the fullest,” she said.

Wilson was 45 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 2B cancer on June 27, 2006. A teacher at H.Y. Livesay Middle School in Harrogate, Tenn., she was on summer vacation when she heard the devastating news.

“I found it through a self exam,” she said, adding, “and it didn’t feel like what I’d always thought it would feel like.”

What she felt in her right breast was a “thickening” — “not a knot,” she said.

“Women need to be aware of any change that takes place, no matter how small it might seem,” she emphasized.

At first, Wilson was in denial.

“I’d had a clear mammogram that February, so when the doctor told me it was a carcinoma I said, ‘No, it’s not!’.”

But it was — and the cancer had spread into her lymph nodes.

“I was in immediate denial and disbelief,” she said. “I was also totally unprepared and caught off-guard. I’d always stayed on top of everything.”

With no family history of the disease, Wilson was especially surprised because she’d always been vigilant about her health. She had kept up with her scheduled exams and did a monthly breast self-examination.

“Women have to be proactive about their health,” she said.

Although it took her by surprise, it was full speed ahead for Wilson after her diagnosis. A patient at Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center, she had a radical mastectomy of her right breast, then a port was put in so the chemotherapy treatments wouldn’t destroy her veins. She underwent 16 chemo treatments and six weeks of radiation treatments.

The most devastating side effect for Wilson was the loss of her hair.

“That was probably the biggest emotional blow,” she said, adding with a smile, “but I did have some great wigs.”

Through all of it, Wilson also had a great support system. She and her husband Bobby live in Harrogate. They have one son, Adam, and two granddaughters: Chelsea, 5, and Olivia, 21 months.

“My family was a tremendous support,” she said. “They just kept telling me that we’d get through it.”

Her work family was also very supportive, as well as her team of doctors and other caregivers.

“I don’t know how anyone gets through things like this without the support,” she said. “I also give credit to God for carrying me through it. It’s true what they say — when you can’t walk, He will carry you.”

It was important to Wilson for her life to be as normal as possible. She took that fall semester off from school, but returned to work in January 2007, still taking chemotherapy treatments.

“Attitude is as important as the treatment,” she said. “This is not a journey I would have chosen for myself, but it is something I wouldn’t take anything for.”

The people she’s met, the support she’s received and the lessons she has learned have made the journey a little easier.

“Cancer is not a death sentence,” she said, adding that cancer treatment is much more tailored to the patient now, and there are medications to help manage the side effects.

Now deemed cancer-free by her oncologist, she’s currently having reconstruction work done — which she stated is a very personal choice for women.

The importance of breast self-examinations cannot be emphasized enough, she added, commending programs that encourage ‘buddies’ to remind each other of the exam. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and there are numerous resources available to help women who aren’t sure how to perform a self-exam.

Asked what encouragement she could offer women who face a similar diagnosis, Wilson replied, “For every negative, look for a positive. There is one there. Also, let people help who want to help. Accept the prayers and support.”

Although her journey has been somewhat difficult, Wilson is at peace with what she’s been through.

“I’ve learned that the things I thought were a big deal are not so big, and I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore,” she said. “I’m right where I should be.”

Marisa Anders is Managing Editor for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at manders@middlesborodailynews.com.