News

Mindy, a teacher in Blue Springs, has a family history of breast cancer, so it wasn’t a surprise when her doctor recommended she start annual mammograms at the age of 35.

When Maribeth Kammert first learned she had cancer in 2015, her world came to a stop. It was early stage breast cancer. “I was at Beauty Brands with my mom when I got the call. I went into the bathroom because I didn’t know how I would react. I didn’t cry,” said Maribeth. “I just had this instinct that I was going to take care of it, and God was going to take care of me. And if the outcome wasn’t what I wanted, I’d be okay with that.”

Over the years, they have done everything together: graduated high school, tied the knot, bought their first home, and raised a family. For all they have shared, they never dreamed of sharing a cancer diagnosis.

Lynn vividly remembers how she felt when she found out she had stage 2 breast cancer at age 44, shortly after cancer claimed her sister’s life.

Fabian Hardy has been healthy all his life: he served in the military, he consistently ate well – including fruits and vegetables – exercised, saw his doctor regularly and had a clean bill of health.

Reconnecting with a former high school classmate turned out to be a saving grace in Lori’s life.

The 37-year-old Chillicothe wife and mother had two active teen boys, a full-time job, and had recently returned to college for to earn dual majors in business administration and organizational leadership. Then one day she felt a lump in her breast.

The statistic is sobering: One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Brandy Reed was a newlywed and a new mom to 4-month-old Jackson when her life took a completely unexpected turn.

Liz Lopez received the call she had feared for years on Christmas Eve.