October is ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’

You probably noticed that our News Journal name on the front page is in pink this week and we have a full page ad on A-15 about breast cancer. This is “Breast Cancer Awareness Awareness Month.”

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

The lowest point in my life came when the doctor in Lexington told me and my wife that she had breast cancer. The tone of his voice and the look on his face was like we had been hit by a ton of bricks. He made it a point to tell us that it was very serious.

After surgery, chemotherapy and 35 radiation treatments she is a 20-year survivor of breast cancer.

My wife is tough. When she was 10 years old she was run over by a car on Main Street while going to school. She suffered many broken bones and was laid up for months.

She has had surgery on her eyes twice for Graves disease. It hurt me just seeing what she was going through. But it was even worse during her treatment with chemotherapy. She was so deathly sick.

A lot of improvements have been made in detecting and treating cancer in the 20 years since she had it. The advice to women is to be proactive by getting your mammogram.

Cancer is no stranger to my family. I had an operation for lung cancer 13 years ago. Last year I was diagnosed with lung cancer again. It is in remission now thanks to early discovery.

My mother and father, along with six of my seven sisters have had cancer. Of those with breast cancer all survived because they were diagnosed early after having a mammogram.

It is also National Newspaper Week. And speaking of early, I got into the newspaper business when I was four years old.

The story was told to me that my mother bought copies of the Clinton Courier and she watched me as I stood in front of our residence each day and sold them to workers at shift change at Magnet Mills in Clinton, Tn.

It was during the war and my father was working to help build Oak Ridge. The only place we could find to live was a vacant restaurant across the street from the factory.

Times were tough and who could resist a little blonde headed boy yelling, “Buy you Clinton Courier and read all about it?” And here I am 79 years later saying,”Buy your News Journal and stay informed!”