Cypress Lake is celebrating October as breast cancer awareness month in a variety of ways. On Friday Oct. 4, the cheerleaders were out glittering in pink pom poms and bows. Along with this, the student section was dripping in pink outfits at the football game against South Fort Myers High School. During the halftime show the color guard was also spotted with pink bows and makeup. This being the first game in October, there was recognition and support from all.
On a more personal note, a teacher here at Cypress would like to share her story around breast cancer and how this impacted her life.
“I am a fourth-generation breast cancer survivor. My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother all had breast cancer and eventually died from it. When I was in my late 30’s I opted to have the 2 BRCA tests done to see if I had the genes for breast cancer. If I had the genes I would’ve had preventative surgery, but I did not have the genes, so I had to wait until I actually HAD cancer to treat it. Five years later, at age 43, I was diagnosed with stage 1 ER/PR positive (hormone fueled) cancer that was highly aggressive.
Because of my family history, I was mentally prepared to fight it. I chose to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction along with 4 rounds of chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells still in my system after the surgeries. Once I finished chemo, I was on an oral medication for 5 years, to help prevent it from returning and had blood work checks twice each year. It was a long five years, full of awful side-effects, hair loss, multiple surgeries, and more. After five years, because it had not returned, I was told I had crossed an invisible “finish line” where I was less likely to ge
t cancer again. I was then discharged from my doctors and taken off all cancer medication. Yay!
On October 5th, I will be nine years CANCER FREE! It was a difficult thing to go through, but with the support of my family and friends, I made it through just fine. I am so grateful for the time I’ve been given, and I try to live my life to the fullest. You never know when something will happen to drastically change your future, but when it does, lean on family and friends, ask for help, and stay positive. A positive attitude can truly help you through the most difficult times.”
Mrs. Knudsen is a beloved teacher here, her contributions to the school have been key to success for the Panthers. Her beautiful story is a reflection of the strength and perseverance of the women who are tackling this disease. Her amazing ability to take this in stride and take lessons from this experience is admirable to all.
