Meet Brenda Hockett - Breast Cancer Survivor
“Never down, just up, up, up,” said JeAnne Barrett, a volunteer for the American Cancer Society’s Look Good Feel Better Program. Her words serve as an unintentional metaphor for those experiencing the effects of a cancer diagnosis. While JeAnne was referring to the way in which a woman should apply her foundation, always blend up toward your forehead, never down towards your chin, one cannot help but notice the irony of the statement. Every person present in the Floyd Morgan Family Cancer Resource Center at Mercy Medical Center Redding (MMCR) on a recent triple-digit summer afternoon, is battling some form of cancer. While their bodies may be down as they work hard to combat the cancer cells that have taken an unwelcome presence in their lives, there is not one frown to be found. Smiles abound as scarves, hats, lipstick cases and mirrors transform MMCR’s Regional Cancer Center into a makeshift cosmetology school.
The Program is designed for women who are going through cancer treatment. Each woman is given a make-up bag featuring new cosmetic products donated by various companies. A licensed cosmetologist conducts a class on proper make-up techniques and options for scarf tying as many of the women have experienced hair loss due to chemotherapy treatments and have consequently changed their daily beauty regimen. Women like Brenda Hockett, a young, hard-working wife and mother of four reflect on her experience:
“One day I was in the shower and I ran my fingers through my hair and out some of it came. There is no resistance to the hair coming loose, so after I shaved my hair to a quarter of an inch my family and I went out into the driveway and I let my kids help remove the rest of it. Only a smiley face was left on top of my head,” Brenda said laughing out loud. “You have to have fun with it or it will just bring you down. You have to have a balance in your life. If I was just living for the day when I finish my treatments, I would miss the now,” she said. Brenda is battling and surviving breast cancer that was discovered in March of 2009. “I had a crash course in cancer. Two weeks after I was diagnosed, I had a lumpectomy, then a port was put in to assist with the medication process and then I started Chemo,” Brenda said. She will finish her last Chemotherapy treatment Oct. 13, 2009, two days before the Redding community celebrates Think Pink day in honor of breast cancer awareness. “That’s going to be a great celebration day,” Brenda said.
Look Good Feel Better is a recent addition to the Mercy campus as the economy has not shown compassion on any organization, regardless of purpose. The American Cancer Society building, which was once located on Bechelli Lane in Redding, had to close its doors. It was then, the organization turned to MMCR to provide support for their cancer patients throughout the community. MMCR opened its doors through the Floyd Morgan Family Cancer Resource Center to welcome this service.
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The Floyd Morgan Family Cancer Resource Center serves as a safe haven for cancer patients. It is a place where patients can talk with the Oncology Nurse Liaison about their concerns and wishes during their cancer treatment and beyond. The Center’s shelves are filled with books on cancer topics from a to z. It is there, cancer patients can also attend support groups such as the: Living Better with Cancer Support Group that meets each Wednesday free of charge to the community. This group allows those with cancer and their partners or support team to spend time with others who are having similar experiences. The Center also has a Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, where women who qualify may receive a free mammogram, and Quit for Good Smoking Cessation Classes are also free to the community.
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“It was fun,” said Brenda of the Look Good Feel Better class she attended. “There was a lot of positive energy. There is a lot of camaraderie that lets you know you are not alone. The most important thing in surviving cancer is finding those people in your life that will do almost anything for you and letting them do it.”
Brenda also finds comfort in writing down her daily experiences and thoughts on websites like
lotsofhelpinghands.com
and
caringbridge.org
. On these websites, Brenda has been able to connect with those willing to help her with everyday tasks, such as cooking dinner for her family after she has undergone a Chemo treatment or assisting with housekeeping. If an overnight stay is required at MMCR, patients can also receive e-mails from loved ones through CarePages which can be located by
following this link
.
Proudly displaying her pink shirt that reads survivor across the front in shiny silver rhinestones, which Brenda jokingly refers to as ‘her bling’ she said, “Take one day at a time and even if you are stubborn like me, let people help you. If I didn’t use this support and let my husband and family do things for me I would be a lot more tired and it’s important for my body to get rest so it can heal itself,” Brenda said.
For more information on Mercy’s Floyd Morgan Cancer Resource Center and the programs offered, please call: (530) 225-7479 or click the back button.
