THUNDER BAY – Twelve years ago Kathy Ball was 43 years old, fit and healthy, with not a care in the world.
Cancer was something that happened to other people.
Imagine her surprise when she found a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancerous. It lead to a double mastectomy, but a dozen years later, she’s not only survived, she’s found a new lease on life, training for a marathon and taking up cycling, a sport that’s taken her from coast to coast and even to Europe.
Ball on Friday was the keynote speaker at the 27th annual Luncheon of Hope fundraiser for local breast cancer treatment and research.
“I went through the gamut of all the tests and everything else, surgery and a double mastectomy, one at a time, they decided, and chemo and radiation,” Ball said.
“Chemo was a little harder than I thought it would be. Losing my hair was probably the most traumatic thing. But it all grows back. Hair grows back and life goes on. Radiation was a little difficult, but what got me through at the end was my dad was diagnosed with cancer.”
His diagnosis, which occurred the day she finished her own chemotherapy sessions, allowed Ball to focus on his treatment, and put her own cancer journey in the past.
“It was really hard watching him go through what he went through, but it allowed me to just move on and forget about all the trauma that I’d just been through,” she said.
Don’t give up and make the most of your life, Ball said.
“My message is we live each day to the fullest. Tomorrow is not promised. We’ve heard that before, but it really isn’t promised. We don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, so enjoy the day, enjoy the sunrise and the beautiful fall colours that are out there today and when tomorrow happens, you deal with it and don’t worry about it because you can’t do anything about it,” Ball said.
Susan Dubinsky, a member of the Luncheon of Hope organizing committee, said the event was not begun as a fundraiser, but over the years it evolved and has raised more than $427,000, with another $35,000 or so expected in 2019.
But more importantly, it really is a beacon of hope for anyone diagnosed with breast cancer, or who might be down the road, to know it doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
“One in eight women are statistically shown will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Knowing that we have such world-class facilities, wonderful physicians and such a great support system here in Thunder Bay is really encouraging and helps give others strength and hope,” Dubinsky said.
