Surviving the Odds

According to the National Cancer Institute, 12.4% of woman born in the United States today will develop breast cancer in their life. Each year a total of close to 575,000 deaths occur due to breast cancer. This may seem drastic, but, in reality,according to the American Cancer Society, over half of all women diagnosed with breast cancer will become survivors and defeat the disease.

Four years ago, high school math teacher, John Meece and his wife Juile were living their lives just like they always had, but what they didn’t know is that was about to change forever. Julie Meece was diagnosed with breast cancer.“You hear about it all the time,” John said. “But, it’s not supposed to happen to you.”

Most people are aware of breast cancer as a threat, but many forget or choose not to take the steps to detect the disease before it gets too far to stop. John even said his wife was not one to get mammograms and have check-ups on that.

“We knew what it was, but we had to go through the process. We had to go to the doctor and find out,” John said. “After about the third or fourth doctor visit, we finally said it’s time to tell the kids.”

Having three children, John and Julie both thought telling their kids was the hardest part of the entire process. “When we told them, it was a very difficult night,” John said. “They reacted like I thought they would.”

“Knowing I had three children and  a husband, I couldn’t give up,” Julie said. “I couldn’t give up hope.”

“My wife is a trooper; she’s so tough but she doesn’t think she is. She never missed a day at work,” John said. “There were days I would ask her, ‘why don’t you stay home?’ She would say, “No.  If I stay at home, I’ll be home alone, and if I’m home alone I will think about it and cry.’ So she went to work and it was probably the best thing for her to be there.”

After Julie’s treatment was over, she felt relief, but yet she is still afraid. “I still worry every day in case it comes back,” she said.

Her treatment took a year, it was a very difficult time, but the Meece family became stronger. They became more patient and understanding with each other and other people. “You gotta celebrate the moment,” John said. “We can’t pay everyone back for what they did, so we just pay it forward.”

Julie agrees, and wishes to use her fight with breast cancer to inspire others struggling through it. “To women going through the same situation,” Julie said, “keep a positive attitude and a good sense of humor.”