‘What’s best for you’
McCrory woman took on breast cancer her own way
When it comes to routine cancer screenings, sometimes life can get in the way.That was the case for Darlene Crawford of McCrory. In late summer 2004, she was helping her middle daughter prepare for her wedding. Crawford was supposed to have her regular mammogram in August of that year, but she missed it because of the events surrounding the upcoming wedding. Then in April 2005, she finally made it to her doctor for the screening.The mammogram showed some unusual activity, and after an ultrasound and a biopsy, her doctors discovered she had an early stage of ductal carcinoma in situ, a noninvasive form of breast cancer found in the lining of the breast milk duct. “When you hear the “C-word,” that’s the hardest thing,” she said. Crawford, who works for AgHeritage Farm Credit Services in Searcy, said she was in a bit of shock after hearing the results. She said that the day after finding out the news, a customer, who was a local minister, had stopped by her office. After talking a bit, she told him the news about the cancer. She said he asked if he could pray for her then, and she said that afterward, she was the calmest she had ever been. For treatment, her gynecologist, Dr. Jack Gardner, scheduled her for surgery, but Crawford wanted a second opinion. She took her report to her family physician, Dr. Fred Wilson in McCrory, for his recommendation. Wilson suggested that Crawford make an appointment with Dr. Dana Abraham in Little Rock. Before her appointment, Crawford said, she had done research on the internet to decide on her course of treatment. She had decided to have a double mastectomy.With the cancer in such an early stage, Abraham’s suggestion was a lumpectomy and radiation, but Crawford knew she didn’t want to deal with the weakness that can be caused by the treatments. “I said, ‘No, Dr. Abraham. That’s not what I’m going to do. I want a mastectomy, and I want to do both of them,’” she said. Crawford said she had to do a few visits with Abraham, and she also had reconstruction at the same time with Dr. David Bauer, a Little Rock plastic surgeon. Crawford said that in addition to the support of her family, she was also grateful for the flexibility that her employer allowed. She has worked for AgHeritage for 41 years and was able to take off the 12 weeks it took for her recovery. She said she is also grateful for the friends who helped get her out of the house and back in the world while she was undergoing surgeries. Crawford said that Woodruff County has a lot of cancer patients, and two of her friends had the exact same breast-cancer diagnosis. She told them they could get through it, but they had to do it in their own way. “You can’t do what Darlene Crawford has done; you’ve got to do what’s best for you,” she said. “That means you’re the most important person. It’s not what your husband wants; it’s not what your family wants. It’s what’s best for you.”