I am still in the fight!!

Nineteen Years Later, I’m Still in the Fight

Nineteen years ago, I heard words no woman ever wants to hear: “You have breast cancer.”

I can still remember how life seemed to stop for a moment. I was a wife, a mother, a pastor, a woman with plans and responsibilities. And suddenly, I was also a woman with breast cancer.

Today, I can say something I never take for granted: I am a 19-year breast cancer survivor.

That is why the pink boxing gloves in this photograph mean so much to me. They symbolize a fight I never volunteered for—but one I was determined to face.

And one of the most important weapons in that fight was early detection.

My message to women, especially those of us who spend so much time caring for everybody else, is simple: Please take care of yourself, too.

Schedule the mammogram.

Know your breasts and pay attention when something feels or looks different.

Keep your medical appointments.

Ask questions.

Know your family history.

And if something concerns you, don’t put it off because you are busy, afraid, uninsured, caring for somebody else, or hoping it will simply go away.

Fear can make us postpone the very thing that could save our lives.

Early detection does not guarantee a particular outcome, but finding breast cancer earlier can provide more treatment options and improve the chances of successful treatment. That is why screening matters.

I know there are women reading this who have been meaning to make that appointment. Maybe the reminder has been sitting in your email. Maybe the number is saved in your phone. Maybe you keep saying, “I’ll do it next month.”

Let this be your sign.

Make the call.

Nineteen years later, I have lived long enough to see my children grow older, to continue my ministry, to write books, to laugh with my husband, to serve my community, and to discover new purpose in this season of life.

Those years are precious to me.

So when you see me holding those pink boxing gloves, don’t just see a breast cancer survivor.

See a woman who is still here.

Still fighting.

Still living.

Still praising God.

And hear me saying to another woman:

Get checked. Get screened. Don’t wait. Your life is worth fighting for.