S.C. woman visits every state to raise awareness of breast cancer
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The American Cancer Society said there is a one in eight chance that a woman in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
A Lowcountry woman who beat breast cancer is now dedicating her life to raising awareness about the disease and its warning sins.
Charleston native, Citadel alum, disabled veteran, and now breast cancer survivor advocate, Agnes Judge, was diagnosed in 2019 on the third floor of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
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She has since completed a cross-country tour, visiting cancer centers in every state and making a donation at each one to patients in need.
“Because of early detection, I did not have to do the chemo treatments, radiation therapy,” Judge said. “That’s why early detection saves lives. It can also save you from those treatments, but you got to get to the doctor.”
On Thursday, she returned back to the institution where she received treatment, a moment she said was a full circle one.
“There’s one thing that I wish I could have known before being diagnosed with breast cancer,” Judge said. “We, as a woman, we need to do more self-breast examination. Do not wait on that doctor or the mammography to find that lump, you find that lump; Do a weekly self-breast examination.”
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Thankfully, Judge said her treatment plan didn’t require chemotherapy or radiation.
During her visit on Thursday, she donated $1,000 to MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, something she said she wouldn’t be alive to do today if it wasn’t for early detection.
Recognizing the importance of sharing her story to inspire and educate others, she embarked on a cross-country tour, visiting cancer centers in every state and making a donation at each one to patients in need. But most of all, she said she wants to let everyone to know that cancer is a diagnosis, not a death sentence.
“I just want to have a profound impact on cancer prevention, cancer research, and hopefully, cancer eradication,” Judge said. “I visited all the cancer patients, inspiring them, empowering them to fight for your life. I spoke to the health care professionals. They were teaching me that the screening is advanced. The radiation therapy is advanced, so is the chemo treatment. The medication is effective. We have come a very long way. Cancer is a diagnosis, not a death sentence.”
Agnes said her nationwide tour was draining in all aspects, but she knew it was a journey she needed to undertake; a mission sent from God to stand before patients facing one of the toughest challenges of their lives and be a source of encouragement and inspiration to help them keep fighting.
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“It is a lot. That’s how you know my cancer journey was from a higher power, I could not do this alone. And listening to so many cancer patients’ stories, it lets you know it’s a hard road, but it comes to an end. But you have got to go through the process. It made me feel so invigorated to know that I change lives, making them realize you can beat this thing, this ugly thing called cancer,” she said.
Anne Puckett is the Survivorship Program Manager at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
She shared what this donation to their Patient Fund means to those undergoing treatment.
“Cancer, treatment, and diagnosis is so hard on its own, and we don’t want people to have to worry about all the financial barriers that they could encounter, which might prevent them from getting the care that they need or make them delay treatment and those types of things,” Puckett said. “So, through this program, we can give everybody the resources to get them where they need to be, to be comfortable and take that stress away so they can focus on their well-being.”
She said the impact these donations have on patients is an emotional and profound one.
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“It’s so touching. There are tears, there are hugs. The gratitude that is expressed is just unexplainable,” she said. “I mean, these people are going through the hardest times of their lives and don’t know how they’re going to make it day to day or week to week. And being able to offer this to them is truly so very touching.”
Puckett said Agnes’s donation will directly patients currently undergoing cancer treatment, helping with everyday expenses like gas and bills.
“Every penny is going straight into the hands of those that need it most. It is not sitting around waiting to be used on a rainy day, that rainy day is today,” she said. “Every day there’s a need, and we’re here to …$1,000 is so impactful. Think of the gas cards and the taxi rides or the lodging that that can provide to many patients in need that otherwise would not be able to get here,” Agnes said she encourages both men and women to pay attention to your body and make sure to take care of it and to look out for early signs of cancer like she did, it may save your life.
“It makes me feel absolutely beautiful to know that I am playing a major role in cancer patients’ lives,” she said. “Because cancer is a diagnosis, that’s the physical part. So, when you speak to someone that has experienced, and endured what you are going through, it changes your mindset. Your mental state is vital to you.”
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