Women in the News
Three local women bond after breast cancer diagnosis
O
n Oct. 30, three local women who were diagnosed with breast cancer conducted a 5K walk to fundraise for the High Country Breast Cancer Foundation at the Boone Greenway Trail. Lauren Watts, Kim Kirby and Erin Ellington were all diagnosed with breast cancer in fall 2020. While they are celebrating that they are cancer free, each of them is still in active treatment either on chemotherapy, hormone therapy or immunotherapy. Every year, the High Country Breast Cancer Foundation hosts a 5K, but the event was moved to a virtual format this year due to COVID-19. Even though it took place as a virtual event, Watts, Kirby and Ellington wanted to do something a little more. “We all have a really big community support between the three of us, and so we just decided ‘Hey guys, the run was scheduled for Oct. 30. Let’s still do it,’” Kirby said. “Let’s just round up our crews and … let’s all just go meet at the Greenway assuming weather’s OK and let’s still walk in support of breast cancer survivors. Those who have gone before us, those who have yet to go through it, and let’s raise money for the foundation so they can keep helping more breast cancer patients.” For the three women, the HCBCF has helped them tremendously during their fight against breast cancer. According to the women, the HCBCF paid for cold capping so they did not lose their hair. All three of the women met shortly after getting the breast cancer diagnosis. Shortly after diagnoses, they received six months of chemotherapy, surgery and more than 30 rounds of radiation.
Lauren Watts, Kim Kirby and Erin Ellington met after they were diagnosed with breast cancer in fall 2020. Photo submitted
For each of them, meeting one another helped tremendously. “If you have to go through it, it is something that you need to have other people that understand what you’re going through because it’s actually a comfort,” Ellington said. “It really helped a lot. It’s just really comforting to have folks who know what’s going on to kind of rely on and lean upon.” Ellington said she knows it sounds cliche when people call it a sisterhood, but she said that’s what she found when meeting these women and other community members battling breast cancer. “They are my sisters, my pink sisters,” Ellington said. “It’s just something that we went through together that will
remain with us and keep us together until forever, honestly.” Having each other to rely on helped them through their journey and is part of the reason they wanted to raise money for HCBCF. The mission of the High Country Breast Cancer Foundation is to support breast cancer patients, survivors and their families in the High Country of North Carolina. All proceeds of the 5K were to go directly to the High Country Breast Cancer Foundation to support others in the High Country who are fighting breast cancer.
- Moss Brennan
November-December 2021 | 7
