After shutting down her computer, she snuggles on the couch with her two-year-old son, Will, to watch his favorite movie, Monsters vs. Aliens … once again. Her laughter, contagious and full bodied, fills a room with ease and comfort. She is at peace at this moment. Today is one of the good days.
28 Years Young
Meet Christy Gannon, a vibrant, no-nonsense type of girl -- one who you would want on your side if you found yourself in trouble. On March 5, 2009, shortly after her 28th birthday, Christy visited her doctor for what she thought was a breast infection. The diagnosis was far more devastating: Inflammatory breast cancer.
This time, Christy was the one in trouble.
Affecting 1 to 6 percent of U.S. breast cancer patients, Christy confronts a forceful attacker -- one that would spread quickly to her lymph nodes and nearby tissue. She is in for the fight of her life.
A Fighter
After five treatments of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy followed by another five rounds of chemotherapy, Christy is still waging the war against her cancer seven months after the initial shock. The loss of her once-curly hair is a daily reminder of the poison that courses through her body, leaving only mind-numbing exhaustion.
After five treatments of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy followed by another five rounds of chemotherapy, Christy is still waging the war against her cancer seven months after the initial shock. The loss of her once-curly hair is a daily reminder of the poison that courses through her body, leaving only mind-numbing exhaustion.
She continues fighting with a relentless spirit grounded in compassion and love from family, friends, and most importantly, God. She says, “Sometimes we need to be reminded that… no matter what we go through in life, God is right there waiting on us to call on Him.”
Hair
“I’m balding at the speed of light,” Christy adds to another email, “I’m losing my hair faster than expected.” With words, Christy begins her connection to the community. The list of readers grows from 20 into the hundreds as more people are drawn to her story.
She continues, “In the beginning I thought I was going to lose the hair on my head all at once. Not so! I started losing it in patches! It started falling out from the front and worked its way to the back. I hated looking at myself in the mirror. I tried never to walk around the house without a scarf.”
But during the madness, Christy still has her sense of humor, “The worst part about losing my hair is that my leg hair was the last section,” she said. “I had to shave during most of my baldness.”
In a recent show of camaraderie for her cousin and for all people battling cancer, Christy’s cousin, Ester shaved off her locks. “She is awesome,” Christy adds.
Giving Back and Reaching Out
Shaded from the Florida heat, Christy sits by the donation box at her yard and bake sale, chatting with visitors and graciously accepting donations and stories of hope. “There is much love in the air,” Christy says of the yard sale. “It feels like the whole community is hanging out in my front lawn wanting nothing but to help.”
Shaded from the Florida heat, Christy sits by the donation box at her yard and bake sale, chatting with visitors and graciously accepting donations and stories of hope. “There is much love in the air,” Christy says of the yard sale. “It feels like the whole community is hanging out in my front lawn wanting nothing but to help.”
Dara Leichter is a Breast Navigator for the Regional Cancer Center at the Lee Memorial Health System and works with Christy to ensure the money she is raising from her sales supports those in need. “We use these funds to help women with the cost of breast screening (mammograms, ultrasounds, etc.) that are not eligible for other community supports,” Leichter says. “Otherwise these women may fall through the ‘cracks’ and not get screened.”
But Christy isn’t stopping there. After sitting in waiting rooms surrounded by ladies decades older, she sees the need to build a community of support for women like her. “Even during this battle she still wants to do things that bring awareness and education regarding this disease…” Dara says, “Along with raising money, she also has gotten involved with several other young ladies to help start a support group for women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40.”
Christy hopes that through this group she can provide an outlet for other young women to not only relate to the daily struggles, but offer tips, advice, and most certainly, to expect miracles.
