Parallel Lives Intertwine In Cancer Battles
Staff Photo By Jaime R. Carrero
Attorneys Rosemary Jones, left, and DeLeith Gossett, who work for the Ramey and Flock law firm, were both diagnosed last fall with breast cancer. They were treated locally and returned to work after reclaiming their health. The experience sealed their friendship and resolve to support new treatment options.
Story By JACQUE HILBURN
Feature Writer
When attorney DeLeith Gossett started a new job at the Ramey & Flock law firm, she wanted to make a good first impression.
Feature Writer
When attorney DeLeith Gossett started a new job at the Ramey & Flock law firm, she wanted to make a good first impression.
Scarcely a month into her new assignment, a routine mammogram detected something unusual.
"They had a finding," she said. "He (doctor) saw some specks. I thought, 'No big deal.'"
Within days, talks turned to treatment options: lumpectomy or mastectomy?
Mrs. Gossett, 44, sought solace in her new co-worker Rosemary Jones, also an attorney.
"Everything moves really quickly from the point of diagnosis," said Mrs. Gossett. "It's irrational, I know, but I felt guilty. I had just started a new job and then found out I had cancer."
Mrs. Jones was happy to lend a shoulder of support.
"She's talking to me about this, and I was sitting there thinking, 'What would I do?'" Mrs. Jones said.
Within weeks, Mrs. Jones, 47, found herself facing similar choices.
"I was on a business trip and found a tiny lump the size of a pea," said Mrs. Jones. "Within two weeks, I was having surgery."
Both had double mastectomies in October in hopes of ridding themselves of the fast-growing cancers, and recently wrapped up several months' worth of treatment.
"If this had happened 15 to 20 years ago, I might not be sitting here," said Mrs. Jones. "Because of money raised for research, I'm still here. Without it, I probably would have been a statistic."
SUPPORT FOR A CURE
The women are among thousands benefiting from new research, funded in part by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to furthering the study, education, screening and treatment of the disease.
The women are among thousands benefiting from new research, funded in part by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to furthering the study, education, screening and treatment of the disease.
The organization was built on a promise Nancy G. Brinker gave to her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, to eradicate cancer.
In the 25 years since its inception, the organization has given more than $1 billion to the cause, making it the largest source of nonprofit backing in the fight against breast cancer.
To assist in these efforts, the 10th annual Susan G. Komen Tyler Race for the Cure is set for May 10 at Bergfeld Park, Tyler, said race spokesperson Ellen Peirce.
"The Komen Race Series is the world's largest and most successful education and fundraising event to fight breast cancer," she said.
In the United States, a woman has a one in eight chance (12 percent) risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, Komen officials said.
This year an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among American women; another 1,990 new cases will be detected in men.
Survival rates continue to improve, officials said. The five-year survival rate, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is at 98 percent, compared to 74 percent in 1982.
'PUT THE ARMOR ON'
People touched by the disease say it changes lives, not only for the patient, but also those around them.
People touched by the disease say it changes lives, not only for the patient, but also those around them.
For Mrs. Gossett, the experience was not all bleak.
"I've always felt like I had a walk with the Lord," said Mrs. Gossett, a wife and mother. "It was magnified at that time."
She immersed herself in prayer and learned more about the disease to address questions posed by her children, ages 16, 18 and 20.
"I was real up front with the kids," she said. "I said, 'We'll get through it. I'm not afraid, the Lord is with me.'"
Receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer does not mean life is over, she said.
"There have been worst things in life than this," she said. "It's not anything I would wish on someone else, but because of the advances, you can go on to lead a full life."
Mrs. Jones, also married with children, said she will never view the world in the same way as before the cancer was discovered.
The hardest part of the ordeal was waiting on test results.
Second, she said, was sharing the news with her children, ages 8 and 15.
"You walk through the valley of death," she said. "You don't know how far it went, or how far it advanced. Telling the kids was very hard. They didn't understand. We put the armor on up front."
Both women credited their spirituality, family and friends with helping them survive the bad days and cherish the good ones.
There are still dishes to wash, children to rear and cases to review, but they are pausing more often to experience the simple pleasures of life - a warm bubble bath, an interesting book, a good laugh.
Mrs. Gossett has started sharing her story and spirituality with other women, who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I know mammograms are expensive, they hurt and they are time-consuming, but they are very important," she said.
Mrs. Jones, who signed up to volunteer for the American Cancer Society, agrees.
"It can save your life," she said. "Neither of us have breast cancer in the family and no risk factors."
Both women say they learned a lot about themselves along the way, and continue to marvel at the similarities of their situations.
"I could not ask for a better place to be than here," said Mrs. Gossett.
"I truly believe God put DeLeith in my life," said Mrs. Jones. "We've had each other to lean on - it's been a real blessing."
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