LaPlace breast cancer survivor notes the power of a little hope

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 10, 2013

By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Christine Gray, a breast cancer survivor from LaPlace, was recently honored for her resilience, along with more than 100 other cancer survivors during a tree-planting ceremony at Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s Midwestern Regional Medical Center.
The semi-formal Celebrate Life event was a special celebration for five-year survivors of various cancers. Participants were joined by doctors, hospital administrators, clinical team members, caregivers, family members and members of the local community who attended in a show of support. Celebrants also released five white doves, collectively representing each year of cancer-fighting survival while receiving treatment at CTCA.
“It felt great. It was like I was getting an Academy Award or something, when I’m getting praise for being a survivor,” said Gray.
The tree-planting ceremony symbolizes the wonder of life and growth, which means a lot to Gray after all that she has been through since her diagnosis in 2007.
Gray said she had a five centimenter lump in her breast and was already close to fourth-stage cancer by the time she saw a doctor. Although the news of the diagnosis upset her, Gray said her doctor’s attitude and lack of compassion took away her will to fight.
“I asked him what he thought my chances of survival were, and as he’s talking to me like he’s in such a rush. He says ‘We really won’t know until after you have the chemo.’ He’s walking out of the door while I’m trying to ask him about this cancer, and he just gave me a book and said, ‘Everything you need to know is in that book,’” recalls Gray.
Gray sought treatment with CTCA after waking up in the middle of the night and seeing an ad for the facility on television. On impulse, she dialed the number and said someone spoke with her almost immediately. Gray said a doctor called her back first thing the next morning and made arrangements for her to fly out to the facility for an examination. She was skeptical at first but was completely sold by her initial visit.
“It was just something about when I walked in that hospital. I felt good. I didn’t feel worried or scared anymore. Just a good feeling came over me,” she said.
Gray said the facility’s care made all the difference in her overcoming the disease. She said the facility taught her that cancer feeds on stress and made it a point to take as much stress away from each patient as possible by offering financial assistance, mental health counseling and even massages. In addition, support from her family helped her work through the worst parts of treatment. Gray was cancer free two years after her diagnosis.
Gray said she made many valuable friends during her experience and would recommend the facility to anyone struggling with cancer who feels that they are not receiving the proper care.
“Talk to God. Don’t just pray at him, but really talk to him. And make sure that you have a doctor that you really trust. A doctor that’s going to give you hope and show compassion to you,” said Gray. “Always get a second opinion, and a third opinion if you have to.”