As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) comes to a close, there’s at least one upstate woman who knows it’s crucial to remain passionate about the issue year-round, and that the best counseling available is God-centered.
Robyn Mabry of Roebuck, left, overcame breast cancer this year by placing her faith completely in God. Her Christ-centered approach to battling the disease inspired her immediate family, church family and even her close-knit co-workers, Sheilah Pinney, center, and Kim Pinney.Robyn Mabry, 39, of Roebuck, was diagnosed with the disease in May, but claims the experience produced an “outbreak of spiritual growth” and taught her valuable lessons that she hopes to share with others going through a similar ordeal.
“As my precious friend Ramona Bridges reminded me at the time, it’s ‘footsteps ordered by God,’ and I kept that in mind and never reacted negatively to the news,” said Mabry, a member of Tucapau Baptist in Startex. “It taught me to depend on his strength and give him the glory for everything, not just my health.”
Now a huge advocate of early detection, Mabry said she had gone to the doctor for a totally unrelated matter, but was then informed she had precancerous cells in her left breast and a mass in her right.
Based on family history, Mabry elected to have a double mastectomy since she had already lost her grandmother, mother and a cousin to the disease. The timing was perfect because the cancer had not spread to her muscles or lymph nodes.
Even so, from the very onset Mabry asserts she had a peace that only God could provide.
“The first thing I did when I got into my car was pray,” she said. “I prayed, ‘Your will be done, not mine,’ and God told me to trust him and keep my eyes upon him. I promised I would. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I never asked him to change it or take it away – just teach me – and he did. I never cried or worried about it. The best way I can describe it was that, at that moment, he covered me with his grace.”
Of course, Mabry realizes some have a difficult time digesting that kind of news.
“I think it’s understandable,” she said. “Just because I didn’t cry, it’s okay for others. Tears are God’s language. He understands.”
Mabry also elected not to undergo reconstructive surgery. That decision was God-centered, too.
“I don’t want to cover my scars,” she explains. “I don’t want to ever forget what my Heavenly Father did for me. He spared my life. Many times when we go through a storm and then the winds die down and the seas are calm, we forget about our blessings and go right back to our old ways. We want God to show up during the hard times, but I want to show up for him every time.”
“The scars serve as a reminder,” she added. “If Jesus can wear scars on his hands after dying on the cross for me, I’ll gladly wear them for him.”
Mabry had been warned the first time she viewed the scars, she would be devastated and cry.
“I did cry out, but it was in praise for allowing me to go through this,” she emphasized. “And if I had to do it all over again, I would, just to honor his name.”
Adding to her support team was a large extended family, including her immediate family, church, and co-workers at Furniture Dock Inc. near Spartanburg.
“I don’t label or separate them into groups,” she declares. “They are all family to me, and it’s a close-knit family. I don’t know how anyone who’s not a Christian survives something like this.”
The American Cancer Society urges women 40 and older to get a mammogram annually to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. An estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the U.S. in 2008, and about 40,480 deaths are expected. In South Carolina, an estimated 2,500 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, while 620 deaths are expected.
For more information on the subject, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
In the meantime, Mabry is willing to serve as a Christ-centered resource in dealing with the emotional toil such devastating news can have on the individual and family. She can be reached at 864-574-0855.
“One of the things I would tell someone diagnosed in the beginning stages of this disease is don’t put God third or fourth,” she avows. “Seek him first. He will speak to us if we’ll just listen. There are some very good doctors out there, but God is the Great Physician.”