Cardia Williams was born in Louisiana and now resides in Biloxi. She’s a lead teacher with MSU Extension Head Start and has been with Head Start for nearly 16 years.
MY HEALTH CHALLENGE
I’ve dealt with two major health scares. The first one was an ischemic stroke in June 2020, and the second happened when I did a self-check and felt a small, pea-sized knot right under the skin at the edge of my areola. I noticed it in the latter part of September 2022.
My first thought was that I’d bumped into something — no big deal. I continued to do a self-check, and in November, it was still there.
A week before Thanksgiving I made an appointment with Coastal Clinic. The nurse practitioner scheduled a biopsy appointment on Dec. 5. A few days later, she called me with the result. It was cancer.
WHAT I DID
I was scheduled to see the oncologist, Dr. Khalid, and after meeting with her, I was scheduled to have lots of tests; everything was moving so fast! I met with her again, and she said my diagnosis was HER2-positive breast cancer.
I had to sit and think for a minute; this was a lot to deal with. So, I approached this challenge by first talking with God, my family, my Church family (The Place of Grace) and my work family.
Dr. Khalid made me feel so at ease because every time I saw her, she had a smile on her face. The surgeon, reconstruction surgeon and entire medical team were all amazing. My mindset was that with God, my family and the medical team, I could get through this.
I had 12 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. Today I’m cancer free!
THE HARDEST PART
Sometimes I found myself sitting and wondering, “Why me?” But God placed so many amazing cheerleaders in my life that I never wanted to give up. I wanted to keep fighting through the tired days, losing my hair, not having an appetite and my fingernails turning black from the chemo medicine.
WHAT LIFE IS LIKE NOW
Now, life is great! I’m learning to live life to the fullest again. I enjoy my family and friends.
I had to learn to adjust to my new look, with no hair, medicine-related weight gain and my breasts a smaller size, it still feels so different and unfamiliar to me, but I’ve adapted to my new normal.
I get to spend so much quality time with my only granddaughter, whom I adore. She and I have written a book together that already has been published; it’s going to be a series. The second one is getting ready to be published.
MY ADVICE TO OTHERS
If I could share one thing with someone who may be going through this journey, it would be to give yourself grace and know you can overcome anything with prayer and your loved ones by your side. Remember: Never give up. You’ve got this!