Ambassador conquering breast cancer foe that wounded her family
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“I don’t want to make the same mistakes my mom made; –Kendra Campbell |
Breast cancer has taken a heavy toll on her family, but Rushsylvania area resident Kendra Campbell is not letting it get the best of her. She has taken charge of her health to avoid missing out on priceless moments with her daughter and stepdaughter.
The 39-year-old health advocate, along with Dixie Kopus, 44, of West Liberty and Debra Ropp, 41, of Bellefontaine, each is serving as ambassadors throughout October for Mary Rutan Hospital’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign emphasizing early detection and regular mammograms for women.
Photos of the trio are featured in mailers from the hospital’s Crawfis Imaging Center sent to county residents, and in displays at various local businesses, through funding from the Mary Rutan Foundation and the Logan County Cancer Society. Their stories are being spotlighted in the Bellefontaine Examiner this month as well.
Mrs. Campbell said she has been monitored closely by her OB/GYN doctor for signs of breast cancer since she was only 19 after losing her mother to the disease in December 1999. Her mother was in her early 50s when she was diagnosed, but her prognosis could have been much better if she’d only visited the doctor sooner, the local resident related.
“I don’t want to make the same mistakes my mom made; I want to be around for my grandkids,” said the mother of 6-year-old Madalene, and stepmother to 22-year-old Katie McCoy, whose wedding the family attended several months ago.
“My mom was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, but had found a lump four years before that and never got it checked out.”
Read complete story in Wednesday’s Examiner.
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