Shine a light on pink! Volunteer and Donation opportunities
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Mix 107.9 is proud to partner with Carolina Breast Friends for our “Shining a Light on Pink” campaign. Carolina Breast Friends is a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free services and programming to support anyone, anywhere, on their journey with breast cancer. Kim, a breast cancer survivor, shares how Carolina Breast Friends has changed her life.
Kim Drace- Bumgardner
Kim’s Story:
I went for a routine mammogram in March 2021. After a call to come in for a follow-up sonogram and then another call to come in for a biopsy, on April 1st I got the call that I had breast cancer. Then all the doctor’s appointments started: oncology, radiology, surgeon, and OBGYN. A plan was created. First things first, remove the birth control that was an estragon-based foreign substance in my body. Since I was over 40, that could’ve been a factor because I don’t have any family history or the gene for cancer. Who knew? I didn’t and my OBGYN put it in. I had a port placed in May and on June 25th, I started a very aggressive round of chemo at Atrium Levine Cancer Center in Pineville. Because of COVID, they weren’t allowing anyone other than the patient to go into the Chemo wing. Talk about scary, not knowing what to expect from the medicine I would get and not knowing anyone in that wing…tears the whole way in.
The nurses were amazing, and they even had a music therapist who helped keep me distracted. 2 weeks later, for my 2nd treatment, my hair was coming out already. I took the power back and shaved my head on July 21st. I had 8 aggressive treatments and then 12 less aggressive. Last one was on “Black” Friday, November 26th, when I rang the BELL!! Surgery was scheduled next for December, right in time to close out the year. Then positive COVID tests pushed it into late January 2022. I had the lumps removed along with 7 lymph nodes. The last step was radiation. should’ve been 30 treatments, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Which turned into 8 weeks because of server issues and delays that would cancel my appointments.
But finally, on April 29th, I could RING the BELL again, and this was the finishing BELL!! I made it through and worked a full-time job the entire time! I was told about Carolina Breast Friends just this year and it has been amazing! Meeting other women with similar stories; creating relationships that are empowering and simple. Volunteering and helping others, still working hard to get through it, has been a joy, and is very rewarding to let them see; you will get there also!
