When Amber Jones was 35, she discovered something about herself that she hadn?t realized before.
?I learned that you never truly know how strong you are until you are faced with a situation where you have no choice but to be strong and brave,? she said.
To put it bluntly, the situation Amber was in two years ago was as scary as the dickens.
In the fall of 2010, the young schoolteacher found a jellybean-sized lump in her breast. Within weeks she was diagnosed with a rapidly spreading form of breast cancer ? the beastly sounding triple negative medullary invasive carcinoma. Amber underwent a double mastectomy, grueling chemotherapy treatments, 33 rounds of radiation and reconstruction.
Barely four months after her diagnosis, Amber participated in an event sponsored by the Savannah Affiliate of the Young Survival Coalition, a support group for young breast cancer patients. She continues to be active in the group and Sunday will attend the YSC?s fourth annual Pink Tea at the Wilmington Island Club.
Much has changed in Amber?s life since that fall day nearly two years ago.
When she discovered the change in her breast, she didn?t panic and even waited a few weeks to schedule her normal yearly physical.
?While (at the doctor?s office) I pointed out the lump,? she said. ?He scheduled a mammogram immediately.? That same day she underwent an ultrasound procedure and, a few days later, had a needle biopsy.
On Nov. 11, the doctor telephoned Amber and told her she had breast cancer. Within a week, a team of doctors reviewed her case and prescribed a course of treatment. To add insult to injury, Amber?s husband served her with divorce papers 30 minutes after her second chemo treatment. The two had separated three weeks before her diagnosis.
Cancer wasn?t something new for Amber. At 22, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin?s Disease and underwent surgery to remove tumors in the lymph nodes in her neck.
?I had 32 rounds of intense radiation treatment,? she recalled. ?I was shocked to get the news the second time because I was older and knew that this might mean that I wouldn?t be able to have children. But it didn?t take long for me to put on my game face.?
At the time, friends told Amber that if anyone could beat cancer twice, she could.
?I always try to think of the glass as half full, but I have had my very brief moments of, ?Why me??? she admitted. ?I?ve had two friends diagnosed recently, and I realized that I went through this so they could see that it can be done. Another reason why is so that the young girls in my class and at school and in the community could see that girls can be strong, too. Strong is the new beautiful.?
Originally from Louisiana, Amber came to Georgia as a young bride with her first husband, who was in the military. When the two divorced, Amber opted to stay in Richmond Hill because she was teaching and working on her master?s degree.
Despite her upbeat attitude about having cancer, Amber isn?t sure she could have been as brave without the support of her family, friends, colleagues and the fifth-graders she teaches at Carver Elementary School in Richmond Hill.
?All of my family lives in Louisiana, but there was a lot of long-distance support through prayers and emails,? she explained. ?My friends and colleagues were awesome. I did continue to work through treatment.?
Amber only missed 18 school days and scheduled her surgery during winter break.
?My biggest cheerleader, supporter and caregiver was my best friend (and co-worker) Christy Crowley. I absolutely believe that I wouldn?t have made it without her.?
Amber?s pupils, she said, became her cancer cheerleaders, too.
?The kids loved my bald head, so I never wore a wig. They kept me going when I felt like giving up.?
She also garnered strength from a couple of favorite quotes. One came from the late actor John Wayne, who described courage as ?being scared to death but saddling up anyway.?
Other inspirational words came from the late Eleanor Roosevelt via one of Amber?s students, who paraphrased her quote in a card:
?You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.?
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Contact Polly at 912-352-8670 or pollparrot@aol.com.
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PINK TEA
The Young Survival Coalition will present the fourth annual Pink Tea Celebration of Life from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at The Wilmington Island Club. Features children?s activities with Silly Dilly the Clown, door prizes, flavored teas by Hale Tea, light refreshments, breast cancer awareness exhibitors and more. $5 per person. For info, email yscsavannah@youngsurvival.org.
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