Oct. 9, 2025

A Journey of Healing & Hope

A Journey of Healing & Hope
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Join Dr. Lewis in a conversation with LaVonn Reedy Thomas, Consultant. Ms. Thomas is a lifelong communicator and leader who always seeks to inform, inspire, and influence others. Her career has taken her from the newsroom to politics, where she has worked on issues such as environmental justice, healthcare, women’s empowerment, youth employment, and nonprofit management. Email: lrthomas91@gmail.com

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WEBVTT

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The topics and opinions expressed on the following show are

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solely those of the hosts and their guests, and not

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those of W four WN Radio It's employees or affiliates.

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We make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,

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or products mentioned on air or on our web. No liability,

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explicit or implied shall be extended to W four WN

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Radio It's employees or affiliates. Any questions or comment should

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be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing

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W four WN Radios.

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Success, Successful, Hard, Sunset.

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Rise, Successful Women.

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Well. Hello, Hello, Hello, everyone, and welcome to another inspiring

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episode of the Success for Women radio and TV show.

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I am your host, Doctor Madeline Ann Lewis, and as always,

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this is the show where we celebrate strong, resilient and

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purpose driven women who are defining success on their own terms. Well,

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Today's episode is one that touches the heart. It's about courage,

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faith and the power of healing. Our theme today is

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a journey to healing and hope and I am honored

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to have with me a remarkable woman whose story will

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inspire you to find strength even in life's most difficult moments.

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My guest is Miss Levaughn Ridy Thomas, and she is

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a true example of resilience. She's here to share her

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powerful journey through breast cancer, a story filled with challenges, breakthroughs,

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and ultimately triumph. So, ladies, wherever you are, whether you're

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watching on the YouTube or listening across the podcast and

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cast networks, I invite you to settle in, open your heart,

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and let Levn's journey remind you that healing is not

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just possible, but transformational. So I'd like to bring on

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my guests, Ms. Levon Reedy Thomas.

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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.

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It is so great to have you here, to come

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and just share with us, talk about something that you know,

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a lot of people don't like to talk about, and

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so that's why I'm so glad to have you here, Levn.

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Before I get started, I just just tell us a

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little bit about yourself, you know, just tell tell us

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about levont.

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Oh. Thank you so much, Doctor Madeleine.

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I you know, I love you, I respect you, I

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applaud you.

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You are a.

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Phenomenal woman in every sense of the words. So I

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admire all that you are doing for women. And I'm

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that kind of woman. I'm the kind of woman who

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likes to celebrate women, work with women, elevate women, connect women,

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teach women, engage women. And women is the spectrum, you know,

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from the younger women college age all the way up.

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I mean, somebody would say I'm a seasoned woman now.

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Which is probably the most shocking thing about me, is

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that I still see myself as you know, the younger levon.

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But I'm grateful to be at this stage in my

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life because it could have been a different conversation.

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A year ago.

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Wow.

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And so I am a creative I do writing poetry.

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I've been a professional journalist. I paint. That's my work

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right here behind me.

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A couple of my pieces, which is a new gift

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that I discovered in twenty nineteen after going through another

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difficult season.

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I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a daughter. I

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love Jesus.

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I mean, I'm nobody, probably any different than most people know.

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I just try to be the person that God wants

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me to be, and I try to be that in excellence.

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There you go, yes, and you do it very well.

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And I tell you what, it's great to have you here.

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And I wanted you to come because your journey is

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both powerful and deeply personal, and I know it will

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inspire so many women listening today. So let's start by

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going back to the beginning, and that is, so, can

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you take us to back to the moment you first

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received your diagnosis, What emotions went through your mind, and

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how did you begin to process what was happening.

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So I did my annual Mamma Graham November around my

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birthday November seventh, and I didn't get the typical letter

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that comes within twenty four to forty eight hours saying

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that everything was great.

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So that was a flag for me.

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I also had noticed that I had this swelling in

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my upper right area, and I thought maybe it was

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a pull or something something, so I said, So I

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got a phone call and the person says, I said, well, hi,

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it was from the radiology office. And I said, well,

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is this a customer service call because I'm on the

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other line and she said no, it's not really.

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A customer service call.

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And I was like, okay, Well got off the other

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line and she said, well, we see something different than

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your previous Mammograham and so we just want to bring

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you in to be sure. I said, okay, in my

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spirit in my deepest place that I didn't even know existed.

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I kind of knew, okay, that's what this was. And

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I didn't say anything when I went.

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I didn't say anything to the tech because I've learned

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from previous experiences that you don't discuss anything with the text.

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They're just there and they should not discuss anything with

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you either.

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That was my experience with a dental tech. And so I.

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Went in they she said, well, we want you to

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come in as soon as you can. So I said, okay,

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well what's available the way I typically go wasn't available,

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so I said, I'll take whatever you.

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Have in the area.

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So that's one of the things that I think is

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important is you have to treat anything that's suspicious with urgency,

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urgency right expeditiously, immediately, do not sit on it.

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So I went in.

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That this was late November and they still couldn't find

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I had to do another set of of mammogram images

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and they said, well, we're not we're not sure. So

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they wanted me to come back and do biopsy and

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MRI and all that. So because I had two areas

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on my right breast that were suspect, they brought me

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back in January because I needed.

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Like four or five hours to go through the process.

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And I could tell, you know, just for talking to

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everybody and their encouragement, what was going on. And so

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they called me a day or so later and said

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that I had two areas. Of course, the lower area

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was a stage one was a stage zero, and the

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upper area where I had felt the swelling, was a one.

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They wanted to get me in to see a surgeon.

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And on collagist and me as quickly as possible, which

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I did. I don't talk about the specific diagnosis that

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I had because it doesn't matter if you have the

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same type of anything, any kind of medical diagnosis. Everybody's

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experiences different, everybody's response to treatment is different, the treatment

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calls are different, so it's not really important.

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What's important is the stages. And so.

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We met with the oncologists, met with the express surgeon,

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and the breast surgeon was great, but the nurse the

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I forget what they call them, but she kind of

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guided me through my whole treatment experience. I went to

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Anerno Medical Center's breast health center and I had a

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wonderful experience, no complaints. But she said to me, if

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this were twenty years ago, your survivorate would be five percent.

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I was like, did I really need.

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To know that no one knew.

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Yeah, So I'm sitting there with my husband and I'm crying.

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You know, I'm crying. So that was my reaction.

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I was good through everything else until she said that one,

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because it was a place of gratitude to.

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Know that so many women have.

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Endured this journey and were the models for the treatments

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that we have today. And I have friends and family

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who have succumbed to the illness, whether it was immediate,

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whether it was after treatment, whether it was a recurrence, friends,

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childhood friends gone at forty years forty something years old,

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because of the personal choices that they made. And so

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we started the regiment. I had chemo first, and then

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by April. So I started the chemo in February was

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my first one. After I had six rounds and halfway through,

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they have you to go back to your surgeon, and

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so my surgeon had a resident working with her, and

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the resident.

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Pulls up the.

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Machine to do the sonogram imaging and she's looking at

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the axes and I said, oh, that's what geometry and

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ALGEBRAU was for and no wonder I didn't uh, And

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so they laughed, and she says to my surgeon, I

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can't see the areas.

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So the searcher said, what do you mean.

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She says, I don't see anything, and so my surgeon says, well,

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let me pull up the original imagery. So she's on

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one computer, so she sends it to I guess the

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computer that the resident was on, and they did a

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side by side and she said.

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Levon, it's not there. I don't see anything.

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So I said, well, you know, the God I serve

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can perform miracles, so I do see that. And so

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she said, well should we? She said, I have to

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allow you to make a decision about how you proceed.

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And I said, well, what's your recommendation? She said, my

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recommendations that we finished the rounds, and I.

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Said, then I'm going with you.

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I felt like I was led to her and she

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was there to guide me. So I'm not gonna challenge

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and question and do all those things.

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My attitude throughout the.

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Process was I trust God and I trust the people

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he's put in my past. But he said to me,

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you should do natural treatment, not my thing. That's what

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you want to do. I knew that wasn't for me

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because I don't have that kind of discipline ray I need.

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I'm the type of person that I want you to

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hold my hand and tell me what to do. ABC

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one two three. That was to me too much work.

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I paid my husband, and I paid good medical insurance

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for a long time, and you never used except for

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the three babies that we had and maybe a couple

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of incidents here and there.

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So it was time to put that insurance to use.

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And so it was good.

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And then chemo number five went well, and then all

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hell broke loose. It was like my body was tired.

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It was my blood pressure was low. I had no appetite.

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Meat tasted like wood. Vegetables taste it like no.

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Meat tasted like plastic for red.

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Weirdly enough, styrophoam and vegetables taste it like wood. And

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so I had no appetite. I would eat whatever I,

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you know, could tolerate. I lost a lot of weight

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and they were very concerned, and so I was gonna

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do a reconstruction surgery. But I saw the the plastic

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surgeon and he said, if I were to do the

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operation today, if you were to come to me today,

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I would not do your surgery because you wouldn't make

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it like I wouldn't make it. So so the original

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plan was to do a double miss stacked tomy, so

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it was not a genetic cancer. So I had that

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ruled out as well. So that's important to know your

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family history. And even if you don't know your family history,

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you can get your genetic testing done once you get

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to a certain age, check with your medical professional with

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your health insurance, because that's good to know going in.

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So I didn't have a family history of it, and

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then they told me that I was not that I

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did not carry the genes, and so they were concerned

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about whether or not I can make it through the surgery.

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So I said, well, I'm sticking with the double misstectomy

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and if that's the best way, because I didn't want

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to do radiation. I just wanted it to be over

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with and I felt like the girls had served their purpose.

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I was not a fan of them. I was well endowed.

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That's what That's something I do want to make sure

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we hit on. Doctor Madeline is about body consciousness and

228
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body confidence. And so when I went to the surgeon

229
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the first time, and she said, typically with this type

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of cancer, we would do a missectomy and maybe a

231
00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:23.919
double mastectomy, depending on what your genetics and everything says.

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She says, do you have a problem with that? I said,

233
00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:30.679
you can have them. And so my husband said you

234
00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:37.840
just you did not hesitate well. That summer summer twenty

235
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twenty three, I had decided I was gonna if, I said,

236
00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:44.039
if I get a job, it's gonna be so that

237
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I can pay for a breast reduction. I always wanted one.

238
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My mother talked me out of it. God created you

239
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:57.000
and his image and your body is fine the way

240
00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:59.080
it is. And my husband's like, you don't need to

241
00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:02.480
mess with those. They were good whatever I was tired of.

242
00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:06.320
The gravity was starting to take effect, and I was

243
00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:09.759
like enough. So when I saw Sherry Shepherd did hers,

244
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I was like, Okay, I'm gonna go do mine.

245
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The one thing I used to.

246
00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:16.279
Always say every time I went for my mammogram, every

247
00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:19.039
time I cross my mind, I say, God, keep them healthy.

248
00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:21.960
If you keep them healthy, I'm good, right, Just keep

249
00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:26.440
them healthy well for whatever reason, then stay healthy. So

250
00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:35.600
I got a reduction reduction with no reconstruction because it

251
00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:39.559
was it's a. The process that's required during the initial

252
00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:45.480
surgery prepares you for the reconstruction, and I just physically

253
00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:49.000
wasn't able to endure. So I really didn't have an option.

254
00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:56.600
So that led me to July last year. I gained

255
00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:59.080
a few pounds, they were able to give my blood

256
00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:04.160
pressure maintained through Madison, and I got round six and

257
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:08.359
then did the double mistectomy and I went to ER twice.

258
00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:11.759
Once I stayed overnight. I was there at the hospital

259
00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:12.480
three nights.

260
00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:16.240
That was the worst. That was just before that was

261
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.240
between chemo five and six and.

262
00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:28.519
So. But the funny thing about the whole experience was

263
00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:32.680
when I went to get the surgery, I wasn't supposed

264
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to stay overnight, but my surgeon said something about my

265
00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:41.319
energy just wasn't good for her when she came in

266
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:44.880
to mark me up. And as a matter of fact,

267
00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:47.279
when she was marking me up, all I could imagine,

268
00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.920
and then when they were taking the pictures of me

269
00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:52.480
throughout the process, all I could imagine was when Kim

270
00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:56.039
Fields did her breast reduction and they had it as

271
00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:59.160
part of the storyline on Living Single, and she was

272
00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:03.559
doing all that, and so that kind of motive, you know,

273
00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:06.720
kept me in a good headset too, and.

274
00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.160
So she so she didn't tell me she was gonna

275
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keep me.

276
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So I wake up from the anesthesia and they said, well,

277
00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:16.960
miss Thomas, we're trying to get you a room.

278
00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:17.759
And I was like a.

279
00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:22.720
Room and she said, yeah, your doctor. The doctor wanted

280
00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:25.400
to make sure you were okay through the night. Everything

281
00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:27.880
went well, your vitals are good.

282
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She just felt like you needed to be tended to.

283
00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.599
Okay, that's so sweet.

284
00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.799
So I stayed and so it took them a while

285
00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.400
to make the connection that the room was for the

286
00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:43.160
same day.

287
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And so once they finally got me a room, I go.

288
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Upstairs and my nurse and my attendant their names were

289
00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:55.519
Glory and Joy, and they told me that they actually

290
00:18:55.640 --> 00:19:00.519
stayed after their shift because they didn't want me to

291
00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:06.559
be caught up in the new shift tasks and they

292
00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:09.039
had done or everything they needed to do, so they

293
00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:10.680
just took responsibility for me.

294
00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:14.599
I said, I'll take Glory and Enjoy any day.

295
00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:15.799
Is that something?

296
00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:20.079
So that's how the end became the beginning.

297
00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:26.359
Wow, that is that's amazing. Just when you think about

298
00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:31.079
what you just said. Even the names of the two attendants,

299
00:19:31.079 --> 00:19:35.519
Glory and Joy, that those were just blessings surrounding.

300
00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:36.640
Wow.

301
00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:39.640
I mean I heard that as soon as you started

302
00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:40.400
talking about it.

303
00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:42.640
That's what so.

304
00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:44.000
Tell us this.

305
00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:48.400
You know, many women describe that moment as life changing

306
00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:51.119
for them, Like you know, especially when you first find

307
00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:53.039
out about it and you're going to have to go

308
00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:57.599
through either you know, the chemo or the reconstructive surgery

309
00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.839
or what have you. When did you first find that

310
00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:05.240
spark of hope that helped you to shift from fear

311
00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:05.880
to faith.

312
00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:09.880
I don't know that.

313
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:16.480
It was ever a shift, as much as they stayed interconnected.

314
00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:18.759
Okay, you know, I think.

315
00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:26.200
I feel like the fear part pushed me into the

316
00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:29.480
faith that I needed. I mean, I've always been I

317
00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.240
would say, you know, God didn't deliver me from any

318
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:37.319
kind of sinful lifestyles or anything like that. My journey

319
00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:38.640
was always faith.

320
00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:39.319
God.

321
00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.559
I know you're gonna bring my family through God. I

322
00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:43.839
know you're gonna help me get this tuition paid. God,

323
00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:46.839
i know you're gonna give me this job. I'm actually

324
00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.799
trying to put extra little dose of faith on now

325
00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:52.319
because it's time for me to go back to work.

326
00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:59.079
And so they were just interconnected. I mean I was with.

327
00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:02.480
My husband when when the radiologists called to give me

328
00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:07.160
the diagnosis, and he was just exceptional. He's always been

329
00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:11.720
very supportive of me, and so I felt like I

330
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:15.079
was not. I try not to live my life comparing

331
00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:18.839
myself to other people, and as I said, every journey

332
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:19.559
is different.

333
00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:22.440
But I had to kind of.

334
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:29.480
Celebrate that I live in a three generational house. My

335
00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:33.400
father is here with us, I have two young adult children,

336
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:36.359
and then my husband, and then I have a brother

337
00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:38.440
and another son who lived close by.

338
00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:43.319
So I'm not the typical person to go through something

339
00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:43.839
like this.

340
00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:47.599
I had care for my family twenty four to seven,

341
00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:50.200
so the only thing I had to do was have

342
00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:56.960
a good attitude and follow doctors' orders and try to

343
00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:59.920
eat and let people do. I mean, I did work.

344
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:05.759
I worked on a campaign for the from January or

345
00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:08.640
February to May, so I would go out and do

346
00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:09.799
campaign events.

347
00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:13.160
So I'm grateful that I had the strength to do

348
00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:14.079
those things.

349
00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:19.559
And they would drive me because the blood pressure thing

350
00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:21.960
was kind of hit or minutes. For a minute, we

351
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:25.240
didn't know quite what it was, and so when I

352
00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:29.839
didn't feel as strong, they would drive me. So I

353
00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:36.279
never had to look outside of my home for support.

354
00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:38.039
I had support.

355
00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:43.240
I had friends and my pastor and who you know

356
00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:46.079
checked on me and called me and everything like that,

357
00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:49.039
because I didn't broadcast if you know, I'm a Facebook person,

358
00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:53.079
and I did not publicly let everybody know, oh yeah,

359
00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:55.359
I'm going through breast cancer. If you saw me, you

360
00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.759
knew something was happening. What I've learned is people are

361
00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:02.039
very cowardly. You know, they'll look at you sideways and say,

362
00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:05.160
oh girl, you look good, you lost some weight. How

363
00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:09.480
do you talk about somebody's body. What gives you the

364
00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:13.680
right to comment that I've lost weight. Well, you didn't

365
00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:18.000
tell me when I was gaining weight, so what's the point.

366
00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:22.880
And so for me, it was a thing of staying

367
00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:24.039
in a space.

368
00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:25.440
Of gratitude.

369
00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:30.559
Because you know, financially it was an extra bill in

370
00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:35.799
my household, and once my campaign checked, couldn't even get

371
00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.160
unemployment to call me back to get my money set up,

372
00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:43.920
which probably worked out because I physically wasn't able to

373
00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:46.839
do the computer to look for a job, and I

374
00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:51.039
don't want them coming from me for some money. So yeah,

375
00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.599
it was just a thing of staying in the right

376
00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:59.440
mind frame and having hope and knowing that my body

377
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:02.440
is my body and it belongs to God and whatever

378
00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:05.640
God has for me. But I think that other people

379
00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:10.960
may struggle because they have other issues, they got to

380
00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.720
go to work, they don't have anybody that's.

381
00:24:14.559 --> 00:24:17.359
Readily available to support them.

382
00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:21.640
So my journey is very unique, and I don't take

383
00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:22.559
it for granted.

384
00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:27.640
I believe what I told God was, if I can.

385
00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:30.720
Run around Prince George's County, Maryland for all of these

386
00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:32.960
years advocating.

387
00:24:32.359 --> 00:24:36.240
For this and that and campaigning for.

388
00:24:36.200 --> 00:24:41.559
Everybody that I've worked with, you give me healing, you

389
00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:42.559
bring me through this.

390
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:44.200
I will make sure.

391
00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:52.279
To put my modest mindset away because as bold as

392
00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:54.799
I am with the things that you know about me,

393
00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:58.720
doctor Madlin, I'm not that person who get out here

394
00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:00.480
and talk about bread care.

395
00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:04.559
I'm a very private.

396
00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.039
Person when it comes to the physical things of life.

397
00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:09.880
I'll tell you, yeah, you should go to the doctor.

398
00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:12.839
I didn't get my first mammogram at forty I need

399
00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:14.079
get it at forty five.

400
00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:21.759
I think I was fifty fifty fifty plus.

401
00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:24.599
My mother kept saying, you know, you need to go

402
00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:26.319
get your mammogram, and I was like, yeah, okay, I'm

403
00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.480
gonna get it. Im gonna get up and get it,

404
00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:30.319
because my attitude was whatever was on the other side

405
00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:32.839
of that, I need to raise my kids. So once

406
00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:35.799
my kids get out of high school, I'll take care

407
00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:38.680
of me. I'll do better about doctor's appointments and things

408
00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:39.119
like that.

409
00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:41.960
So it was an agreement I had with God. So

410
00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:45.160
he really made sure that I kept up my end

411
00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:46.519
of the bargain and I did.

412
00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:50.319
I from twenty eighteen until when it was at twenty

413
00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:52.799
twenty three, I had my mammogram every.

414
00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:56.920
Year, and so that's just the first start is get

415
00:25:57.200 --> 00:26:01.920
the it's better to know than to walk aroun Yeah,

416
00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:03.279
question mark.

417
00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:07.000
And that's where you know, that's part of the healing process.

418
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:10.200
Now you know I'm they say in remission, I say

419
00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:14.640
I'm cancer free because I'm not claiming nothing to come back.

420
00:26:15.680 --> 00:26:19.000
And so but you know, every now and then you

421
00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:20.640
get that little question mark.

422
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:26.880
Hovering around you, and you know, I'm off of the

423
00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:29.039
blood pressure pills. So I'm good.

424
00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:32.000
My appetite is definitely back. I've gained a little bit

425
00:26:32.039 --> 00:26:36.400
of weight. My biggest challenge is I can't get my

426
00:26:36.519 --> 00:26:38.559
hair to come back in.

427
00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:42.279
The way it was. But you know what vanity is

428
00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:43.039
not of God?

429
00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:48.799
Yeah, it's not of God, So fear is a very

430
00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:53.400
real thing. But I do believe that fear is fed

431
00:26:53.480 --> 00:26:55.599
by other circumstances.

432
00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:59.920
Yes, yes, Well let me ask you this.

433
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.000
And I know you talked about the support, your support system,

434
00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.039
you know, your family, your church, different things like that.

435
00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:12.640
And often we know that women feel pressured to stay

436
00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:17.480
strong even when they're hurting. How did you allow yourself

437
00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:22.359
to be vulnerable to receive support from those around you?

438
00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:25.400
Yeah? You know.

439
00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:29.759
I have a couple of nick names among my circle

440
00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:31.119
my family.

441
00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:34.200
Fuss and boss and Sarge.

442
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:39.680
And at one point I was the clean up woman.

443
00:27:40.559 --> 00:27:44.279
I was to make it happen person. And so I

444
00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:51.880
have to say that I felt a little why me

445
00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:58.000
for a minute, right, And people always go, well, why

446
00:27:58.079 --> 00:28:00.759
not you? God doesn't give you more than you can bear,

447
00:28:00.839 --> 00:28:04.839
and God's gonna use this for his glory, And.

448
00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:08.839
Honestly, I was just like God, I don't know how

449
00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:10.720
much more glory you want from me.

450
00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:20.240
So my challenge was probably more emotional, and I felt

451
00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:26.160
like something was being taken away from me. I really

452
00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:29.920
didn't mind the cancer part. My thing was just the

453
00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:33.200
timing was bad. Here I am out here trying to

454
00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.279
get back to work. Life just was life and for

455
00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:41.960
the past. But from twenty nineteen forward, you know, coming

456
00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.440
through COVID and then family challenges related to COVID, and

457
00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:52.400
just life was just being disrupted. And I just felt like, ooh,

458
00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:56.559
I'm right here, I'm about to jump out. Twenty twenty

459
00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:57.000
four is.

460
00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:04.759
Gonna be my year. So what kept me grounded was

461
00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:08.680
my faith, but just the just.

462
00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:12.559
The will that I want to live like I just

463
00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:16.119
want to get to the other side of this. Every day,

464
00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:24.400
every appointment, I sat myself down. I started watching muck

465
00:29:24.440 --> 00:29:28.279
bang videos, the videos of people eating food, and it

466
00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:30.880
really stimulated my appetite.

467
00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:34.359
And I'm a visual person. I'm a visual learner.

468
00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:38.559
And when I was talking to my nutritionist, I was

469
00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:43.240
describing how food tasted, and I told her about the

470
00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:45.920
videos and how they were giving me ideas of what

471
00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:50.039
to eat, like stimulating different taste buds in my mind.

472
00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:52.200
And I've never.

473
00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:56.359
Experienced anything having to do with.

474
00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:00.680
An a rexio or baliem me or anything like that.

475
00:30:01.160 --> 00:30:05.319
But I had a new understanding of why they labeled

476
00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:10.880
those things as psychological conditions, because you need all of

477
00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:14.200
your senses, or you can use all of your senses

478
00:30:14.599 --> 00:30:19.279
for eating, and of course people eat out of emotional

479
00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:25.119
need too right. And so once I started separating at

480
00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:29.799
the different elements of eating, it allowed me to eat,

481
00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:34.200
and then that brought me through. That was probably my

482
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:39.599
greatest hurdle was trying to eat. I had plenty of

483
00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:43.079
people to get me food, cook me food, but just

484
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:44.240
not wanting to.

485
00:30:44.160 --> 00:30:47.039
Eat, and even drinking water. It felt like water was

486
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:52.319
getting stuck going down, and so you know it was

487
00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:59.359
it was. It was just being an encourager to myself,

488
00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:02.559
as you know. So I went through another health issue.

489
00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:06.519
In twenty eighteen, and I pulled on my poetry and

490
00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:10.359
I started pulling together in anthology and I wrote some

491
00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:15.160
anecdotes and it's encouraged my soul. And so I was already,

492
00:31:15.680 --> 00:31:20.400
I believe, prepared for this space and time. So I

493
00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:24.839
didn't have to I didn't have to figure out how

494
00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:28.640
to be right. God opened me up to painting in

495
00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:32.599
twenty nineteen. I hated not being able to paint, so

496
00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:35.599
I did as much as I could until the neuropathy

497
00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:37.920
just prevented me from doing things.

498
00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:45.119
I kept a journal. I have a journal my whole journey.

499
00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:49.920
I wrote in it every day or almost every day,

500
00:31:49.920 --> 00:31:52.559
and when my fingers wouldn't let me, you know, I

501
00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:56.279
could keep things into my phone sometimes, So though this

502
00:31:56.440 --> 00:32:00.200
was an encouraged of course, scripture encourages.

503
00:31:59.599 --> 00:32:01.400
You found a lot of.

504
00:32:03.039 --> 00:32:06.279
People on YouTube who do ministry that I would have

505
00:32:06.359 --> 00:32:09.960
never known, or Instagram and just every now and then

506
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.720
you just plug in and look for that message to

507
00:32:12.920 --> 00:32:13.559
encourage you.

508
00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:14.160
Right.

509
00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:15.240
Wow.

510
00:32:16.359 --> 00:32:22.240
So when you look back on your experience, what were

511
00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:25.160
what were What do you feel were some of the

512
00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:30.839
unexpected lessons or blessings that came from your journey with cancer?

513
00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:48.440
Who the unexpected? I would say that I'm not a

514
00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:53.519
patient person. I love a good.

515
00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:55.319
Debate mm hm mm hmm.

516
00:32:56.160 --> 00:33:02.400
But I have learned that's not my fight. I have

517
00:33:02.599 --> 00:33:03.279
learned to.

518
00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:08.960
I won't say let go of things because I'm just

519
00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:11.240
a very emotional sensitive person.

520
00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:12.599
But I've learned to.

521
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:18.960
Kind of park some things that may frustrate me or

522
00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:22.559
some people who may have hurt me or bothered me,

523
00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:29.279
and I've allowed God to.

524
00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:30.480
Let me know when I needed to re connect with

525
00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:31.359
those people.

526
00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:33.480
And there's still some folk out there that I have

527
00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:34.880
not reconnected with.

528
00:33:37.039 --> 00:33:40.279
The greatest I would say probably blessing.

529
00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:45.480
And this, of course doesn't apply to everybody, because everybody

530
00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:47.119
doesn't live in the house like I do.

531
00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:50.359
I got to see my young adult children thrive.

532
00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:55.240
I got to see what we have instilled in them

533
00:33:55.960 --> 00:33:57.200
set by example.

534
00:33:57.680 --> 00:33:59.319
As I said, my father lives here.

535
00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:01.960
My mom was here with us for two years during

536
00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:04.200
her cancer journey.

537
00:34:04.839 --> 00:34:07.160
She passed away in February twenty sixteen.

538
00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:11.239
So my children have seen what it takes to support

539
00:34:11.239 --> 00:34:14.719
My mother wasn't physically relying upon us for her day

540
00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:15.639
to day needs.

541
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:18.880
But you know, she wasn't. She didn't have to tend

542
00:34:18.920 --> 00:34:19.840
to the house.

543
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:21.960
All day long when as she did when she lived

544
00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:22.679
where she did.

545
00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:25.599
You know, we we I.

546
00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:28.079
Would have to fix food for her sometimes and then

547
00:34:28.119 --> 00:34:28.840
other times.

548
00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:31.840
She fixed food for us. So I got to see.

549
00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:41.519
My children really transitioned into adulthood and making decisions because

550
00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:44.840
I wasn't gonna I wasn't keeping track of anybody but me,

551
00:34:45.559 --> 00:34:48.039
and so it was if you're leaving the house, let

552
00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:52.360
us know, but tom are you coming back. They took

553
00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:55.199
care of the house with my husband. They you know,

554
00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:59.559
grocery shop, They cooked. My daughter has just become this

555
00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:03.199
fancy tasty cook which I don't cook.

556
00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.920
Remember her roomcake I do remember.

557
00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:12.199
Now, And so that's probably the greatest blessing of it

558
00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:18.480
all to have the opportunity to watch I saw Crystal

559
00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:24.000
evans Hurst did a podcast about the role you begin

560
00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:27.199
to play with your adult too. I think it was Crystal,

561
00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:30.480
and she was talking about you become a coach, become

562
00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:31.480
their coach, and.

563
00:35:31.400 --> 00:35:36.119
So that this is that last year I became their coach.

564
00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:37.960
Coach so much so the.

565
00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:40.159
One dad had to tell my daughter, I said, you

566
00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:43.840
don't even care about when mommy eats or anything. She says, Mommy,

567
00:35:44.159 --> 00:35:47.599
you are fine. There's a difference between caring for you

568
00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:51.440
and coddling you. Wow. So I said, oh, I guess

569
00:35:51.519 --> 00:35:55.480
I'm recovered. Tom's going to get back to doing some things.

570
00:35:56.159 --> 00:36:01.280
No, that's right, I know that's right. Yeah, So tell

571
00:36:01.320 --> 00:36:02.920
me this if if.

572
00:36:06.039 --> 00:36:11.679
If there are always there are always moments when hope

573
00:36:11.679 --> 00:36:16.280
feels different. So what kept you moving forward though? On

574
00:36:16.360 --> 00:36:20.000
those days that felt the hardest because I know you

575
00:36:20.119 --> 00:36:22.079
had probably had a couple of those.

576
00:36:23.400 --> 00:36:30.679
Yeah, that one month in June, because it was it

577
00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:33.639
was getting close to the wire on whether or not

578
00:36:33.679 --> 00:36:36.679
I would be able to have the surgery because you

579
00:36:36.840 --> 00:36:39.519
have to do your chemo and then you only have

580
00:36:39.559 --> 00:36:43.760
a thirty day window after your last chemo to get

581
00:36:43.800 --> 00:36:47.639
your surgery, and like I said, I wasn't scheduled to

582
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:51.840
do radiation. So my girlfriends and I'm glad you asked

583
00:36:51.840 --> 00:36:54.320
the question because I wanted to mention that one of

584
00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:57.519
the one of the statistics is that one in eight

585
00:36:57.639 --> 00:37:01.719
women will have a breast cancer diagnosis.

586
00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:04.199
I have a circle of friends.

587
00:37:04.280 --> 00:37:07.320
We were all turning sixty last year, so I called

588
00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:09.280
them my sixty.

589
00:37:10.719 --> 00:37:13.960
Sists. I can't remember exactly, but anyway, it was sixty.

590
00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:18.199
In a circle, and there are eight of us in

591
00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:24.239
this in this little group, and I was the person wow.

592
00:37:24.360 --> 00:37:27.320
And when I got my when I was suspicious of

593
00:37:27.360 --> 00:37:32.440
the diagnosis, that was in November I think it was

594
00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:36.039
it was November. No, it was January. I hadn't gotten

595
00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:39.360
a diagnosis yet. And we all got together to celebrate birthdays.

596
00:37:39.960 --> 00:37:42.599
And I'm looking around the table and I'm like, it's

597
00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:46.840
eight of us, and I'm the one wow. And so

598
00:37:47.000 --> 00:37:53.320
I felt like, if if this was my journey, out

599
00:37:53.320 --> 00:37:55.239
of the eight of us, then I had to do

600
00:37:55.320 --> 00:37:59.199
it the best to the best of my ability. And

601
00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:01.440
so because we were all turning in sixty, we were

602
00:38:01.480 --> 00:38:04.599
sitting at the table and I said, so, what's everybody.

603
00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:05.119
Doing for their birthday.

604
00:38:05.119 --> 00:38:07.280
We all start talking because I'm the person that's always like,

605
00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:10.480
we got to celebrate your birthdays. So everybody said what

606
00:38:10.519 --> 00:38:12.039
they wanted to do, and I said, well, I want

607
00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:13.039
to go to Disney World.

608
00:38:14.519 --> 00:38:18.679
I want to do adult Disney. They were like, so

609
00:38:18.760 --> 00:38:20.199
a couple of my friends are.

610
00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:23.119
Big Disney people. They go with or without their kids

611
00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:26.079
who are grown. They go with their own kids. And

612
00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:28.880
so I said, yeah, so my birthday is November. I'm

613
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:32.599
I'm next to the last person in the circle's birthday.

614
00:38:32.880 --> 00:38:34.760
So we all planned to go to Disney.

615
00:38:34.840 --> 00:38:38.079
And so, like in the Super Bowl at the end,

616
00:38:38.159 --> 00:38:41.159
the winning quarterback he says, they said, where are you going?

617
00:38:41.280 --> 00:38:46.039
He said, I'm going to Disney World. That was my goal.

618
00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:50.719
My goal was to get to Disney with my girlfriends

619
00:38:51.880 --> 00:38:54.360
and nothing was going to stop me from living that

620
00:38:54.440 --> 00:38:57.480
out because I'm not really a goal setting kind of person,

621
00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:01.800
and so I wanted So when they were trying to

622
00:39:01.840 --> 00:39:05.880
figure out some other alternatives to me doing the double mistectomy,

623
00:39:07.480 --> 00:39:10.000
she said, my doctor said, well, if you do the

624
00:39:10.039 --> 00:39:12.800
partial and then we do the reduction, you'll have to

625
00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:16.400
do radiation and that's like ninety days. And I was like, oh, no,

626
00:39:16.480 --> 00:39:19.320
ninety days I'll be celebrating my birthday in Florida.

627
00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:23.519
Kept me, you know, of course, gave you the whole

628
00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:24.599
extra thing.

629
00:39:24.760 --> 00:39:28.119
So you have to build in incentives for yourself.

630
00:39:28.599 --> 00:39:34.480
You know, I would try myself to a smoothie. So

631
00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:37.199
it can be different things. It may be going to

632
00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:40.360
the beach in sitting out watching the water. I love

633
00:39:40.480 --> 00:39:44.440
North Beach down in Calvert County.

634
00:39:44.599 --> 00:39:52.719
So well, tell me question if you had to give.

635
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:56.000
Some words of it.

636
00:39:56.760 --> 00:39:59.199
You know, if you could speak directly to another woman

637
00:39:59.480 --> 00:40:03.800
who had just receive a diagnosis, say today, could you

638
00:40:03.880 --> 00:40:08.039
briefly tell us what words of comfort or encouragement would

639
00:40:08.039 --> 00:40:12.199
you want her to hear. And because we're coming up

640
00:40:12.199 --> 00:40:15.159
to almost the close right now, so let us tell

641
00:40:15.239 --> 00:40:18.199
us briefly what you would tell that person if they

642
00:40:18.280 --> 00:40:19.760
got a diagnosis today.

643
00:40:21.639 --> 00:40:26.039
I would say, if you made it through what you

644
00:40:26.199 --> 00:40:31.239
believe is your worst situation, then you have what it

645
00:40:31.320 --> 00:40:32.719
takes to get through this one.

646
00:40:34.159 --> 00:40:35.519
You got to be positive.

647
00:40:36.559 --> 00:40:41.800
If God brought you through something before, he can do

648
00:40:41.880 --> 00:40:45.719
it again. If you're not a person of faith, you

649
00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:49.519
believe that you've endured some difficult times and you went

650
00:40:49.599 --> 00:40:51.000
through you pulled through it.

651
00:40:51.599 --> 00:40:53.159
Pull yourself through it again.

652
00:40:53.840 --> 00:40:58.599
Absolutely trust yourself, trust yourself, always trust yourself.

653
00:40:59.199 --> 00:41:02.679
Wow. Well, thank you. I want to thank you, thank you,

654
00:41:02.800 --> 00:41:06.599
thank you for sharing your heart and your story so

655
00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:12.159
openly with us today. You've reminded us that healing isn't

656
00:41:12.199 --> 00:41:16.960
just about surviving. It's about discovering the strength and the

657
00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:21.440
beauty within ourselves along the way. And I believe that's

658
00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:23.519
what you did. So I want to thank you for

659
00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:29.480
joining me today, not for show. So it's been. It's

660
00:41:29.519 --> 00:41:31.519
been a pleasure. It really has.

661
00:41:32.079 --> 00:41:32.360
Wow.

662
00:41:33.519 --> 00:41:35.559
And I tell you what, as I talk to the

663
00:41:35.639 --> 00:41:38.239
audience now, as we close out, I just want to

664
00:41:38.280 --> 00:41:44.400
say again, just wow, because what a truly moving I

665
00:41:44.440 --> 00:41:48.360
think an empowering conversation this has been. You know, LaVerne's

666
00:41:48.360 --> 00:41:54.800
story reminds us that even in life's most challenging seasons,

667
00:41:55.519 --> 00:42:01.000
there is always hope healing. And you know, but healing

668
00:42:01.079 --> 00:42:04.440
takes time, it takes faith, it takes courage, but it

669
00:42:04.519 --> 00:42:09.360
is possible, and sometimes your healing journey becomes someone else's inspiration.

670
00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:12.480
So that's why we're so happy to have her share today.

671
00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:15.960
I want to thank you again, Levon Reedy Thomas for

672
00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:19.440
being with us today and for showing us that success

673
00:42:19.559 --> 00:42:25.239
isn't just about reaching goals, it's about rising strong after

674
00:42:25.320 --> 00:42:30.079
the storm. Thank you so for all of you out there.

675
00:42:30.159 --> 00:42:33.519
If this episode touched your heart, please share it with.

676
00:42:33.440 --> 00:42:35.079
A woman who needs encouragement.

677
00:42:35.679 --> 00:42:40.440
You can watch the replay on YouTube or listen on

678
00:42:40.599 --> 00:42:48.280
Talk for TV, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, all the requisite

679
00:42:48.440 --> 00:42:50.920
places that you can listen to if you just want

680
00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:52.800
to listen only, But if you want to watch it

681
00:42:52.920 --> 00:42:56.320
on YouTube are the Women for Women network you can

682
00:42:56.400 --> 00:43:00.679
do that. I want to again thank Levon read Thomas

683
00:43:00.719 --> 00:43:04.320
for being here with us today. This has been the

684
00:43:04.440 --> 00:43:08.559
success for Women's show. Of course we are here every week.

685
00:43:09.159 --> 00:43:12.960
I am your host, doctor Madelanann Lewis helping women to

686
00:43:13.079 --> 00:43:16.440
accelerate the path to success. If you'd like to reach

687
00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:20.440
out to me, you can reach me at info at

688
00:43:20.719 --> 00:43:26.960
EXWSI dot com or you can go to my website

689
00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:34.159
www dot EXWSI dot com. Again, I want to thank

690
00:43:34.519 --> 00:43:39.559
Levonredy Thomas for sharing her story with us again, something

691
00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:43.840
I hope inspired and encourage those of you out there

692
00:43:43.960 --> 00:43:47.679
listening that may have gone through or is going through

693
00:43:47.760 --> 00:43:50.960
the same thing. Thank you again to my viewers and

694
00:43:51.079 --> 00:43:56.599
listeners for joining me, and you all know I love

695
00:43:56.639 --> 00:44:02.159
you all to life and as always, be well and

696
00:44:02.360 --> 00:44:03.639
stay safe out there.

697
00:44:04.559 --> 00:44:06.840
This is success.

698
00:44:06.840 --> 00:44:18.519
Successful windomen had such that was women there rise about

699
00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:34.039
who is sad? Tread some of them successful women