"The Silver Lining" by Pamela Pierce

An excerpt from Pam's Story:

"While this is one of the hardest moments of my life, there are some beautiful chapters in between. At the age of 24, I married my husband and had two amazing children. In my experience some people become their past and carry on the behavior in which they were raised or they become the exact opposite. I chose the latter. I made it my mission to be the best wife and mother I could be and to give my children a life that I only dreamed of. I made it to nearly every football game, dance competition, softball game, and every academic ceremony. My children are grown now, both are college graduates, and my daughter recently got married. My children have always been my world and will continue to be. 

A word, a date, and a place rewrote my expectations for chapter 55. I was driving home and received a call from my doctor. I didn’t know that this would be another life changing call. She asked me to pull over and she uttered the words, “You have cancer.” The word cancer has boundless meanings for everyone, and my mind was filled with racing thoughts. Thankfully, I was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. I told my husband and children about my diagnosis, but I tried to hide the fear. I kept myself busy trying not to think of all the possible outcomes. However, the Lord saw my tears at night and heard my every prayer. 

March 14th of 2024 was the day I had my double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. My family will now say how scared they all were because they didn’t know the extent of the surgery. I woke up in room 3012, ten hours later with two of those hours in recovery trying to stabilize my blood pressure. I don’t really remember anything from the first few days except for the pain. I have truly never been in pain like that, and it was jarring looking at my body for the first time with so many connecting scars that looked like a road map. Thankfully, a week later I was told that my cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes and that I did not have to have radiation or chemotherapy. I do, however, have to take medication for five years since the cancer was estrogen receptive. While the side effects are challenging, I am grateful that most of my racing thoughts did not come true. 

Since then, I have physically recovered, but I am still working on my emotional recovery. I am so thankful to have a loving family and a Savior that never left my side. Another source of comfort has been being a part of the Sheroes group. I have met the most resilient, brave, and strong women that are actually real-life superheroes. They help me to see the silver lining and to know my book isn’t over."

Thank you to our sponsor, Dr. Martha Stewart, Board Certified Dermatologist.
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