Sarah Newman: ‘God gave me courage to fight’
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9.
Those are the words that my husband wrote on our bathroom mirror just days after we found out I had cancer.
I remember standing there just staring at the verse for what seemed like hours.
I was trying to process all that had developed over the past few weeks working up to that moment.
The night my youngest son, Nolan, leaned against me and I felt the lump, I knew something was not right. Nolan was very tired that evening and, as most 4-year-old boys, when he is tired, he will not sit still. As I was asking him to be still, I moved his head away from where he was pressing and that is when I first felt the mass.
Two weeks later, I found out I had cancer.
The weeks ahead were a complete whirlwind. It was not easy facing the reality that, at 32 years old, I had breast cancer. My baby was starting kindergarten, my oldest was going into the fourth grade and we were about to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary but cancer had other plans for us. With much prayer and discussion, we decided to see an oncologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
After many scans, doctor appointments and even more prayers, the oncologist determined that I had three cancerous masses and would need to treat them with chemo as soon as possible. It did not take long for chemo to show its teeth. By treatment number two, I became very weak and my hair started falling out in handfuls. We did our best to make it fun for our boys by letting them decorate bandanas and by joking about me looking just like my dad, their bald-headed Papa.
It was not easy but God always showed us a way to pull through. Thankfully, by treatment three, we were already seeing progress. My masses had begun to shrink, which kept me motivated to keep pushing forward. After completing six chemo treatments, the masses were so small that doctors could only detect them by scans.
Once treatment was complete, I had “the surgery.” This involved a nine-hour procedure including a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expander insertion. Once surgery was over, the reports came back and I was finally CANCER FREE!
Unfortunately, four weeks post-surgery I developed an infection and had to have the expanders removed. That infection put me in the hospital for six days and then sent me home on IV antibiotics for 10 more days. Once I healed from the infection, the hard part was over. From there, I started my journey back to a normal lifestyle.
Since August 2017, I have had six chemo treatments, 17 maintenance treatments, four surgeries, traveled over 7,000 miles to and from Little Rock and have been to over 100 medical appointments.
There is only one way to explain how I made it through all of this … SUPPORT.
I do not feel like it would be fair to share my story without showing appreciation to all of those who fought this journey with me.
God gave me courage to fight and I saw Him work through this in more ways than I could ever describe. My husband, Dustin, fought beside me every step of the way. He had to play the role of dad, husband, mom, housekeeper, chauffeur, cook and nurse but also continue his life as a firefighter. I have always known how blessed I am to have a husband like him but he truly is my hero. Dustin, thank you for being my everything.
My sons, Tyler and Nolan, kept me company and always found a way to make me smile (my sunshine on a cloudy day). Along with all of the rest of my family, whether they traveled miles to be here with us or were miles away, they helped us carry this burden and we could not have made it through without them.
There’s my friends who hugged me and cried with me (you know who you are). My church family, First Baptist Wake Village, who showed me what a true church family looks like. I do not even know how to express my thanks for all the prayers and love they showed to my family. My colleagues (aka my friends) at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, it is truly rare for someone to have the support that all of them have shown to me.
God also gave me some the best medical care at UAMS and at Dr. Eichler’s office in Texarkana. Lastly, I want to thank those who were strangers to me yet they were sending cards and prayers my way. I truly experienced the meaning of “No one fights alone.”
Breast cancer may have taken a part of my life; it may have made me weak and sick. I may still have chemo brain, tingly arms and short hair, but here I am now, a 7-month cancer survivor and I feel stronger than ever! #takethatcancer.
Breast cancer may have taken a part of my life; it may have made me weak and sick. I may still have chemo brain, tingly arms and short hair, but here I am now, a 7-month cancer survivor and I feel stronger than ever! #takethatcancer.