Debbie Woodbury was completely blindsided when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. There were no physical signs or symptoms. The 53-year-old wife, retired attorney and mother of two was happy, healthy and actively managing her interior design business. Like many other women her age, she had faithfully gotten annual mammograms for the past 10 years.
But, this time, a routine mammogram and subsequent breast biopsy revealed that something was brewing beneath the surface—the early stages of breast cancer. So Debbie and the healthcare team at Overlook’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center fought back…and won!
Now, thanks to Overlook, Debbie Woodbury is a breast cancer survivor whose journey has inspired her to give back to other survivors andto her medical center. We’d like to share Debbie’s inspirational message as we ask for your support of the Overlook Foundation’s 2011 Fall Appeal.
“Every single one of us diagnosed with cancer remembers that moment when we went from blissful ignorance, to concentrating our entire being on beating it back. We began with the process of initial diagnosis andtesting. We pushed through to treatment, and then possibly surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, knowing that we had to be brave to face what needed to be done.
As the months passed, I slowly realized that I was keeping a mental tally of the many changes cancer was bringing me—and although the losses were very evident, I was beginning to see that there were real gifts. The biggest gift was gratitude…gratitude like I never felt before in my life. With that gratitude came purpose. I wanted to find a way, in fact wanted to find several ways, to give back and show my gratitude for all that I received.
It was because of gratitude, and my commitment to telling everyone I talked to how much I wanted to give back, that I agreed to serve on the Oncology Community Advisory Board of Overlook’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, and work as a patient educator with the Connection’s Pathways Women’s Cancer Teaching Project, both of which have so enriched my life.
It was out of gratitude that I created www.WhereWeGoNow.com as a community for people who are surviving the cancer experience and living to find a new life of resilience, focus and courage.
Before I experienced cancer’s gift of gratitude, I existed merely as a cancer patient. But survival is greater than existence, and I was elevated to survivorship as a result of the interconnectedness of all of those people in my corner who shared their unique gift of healing with me. Without them and their unique energy, I would never have come to know the wonder of cancer survival—which, for me, can only be fully appreciated when it is returned, full circle, by giving back to others.”
At Overlook Medical Center, we are committed to helping you and those you love survive and thrive after a diagnosis of cancer. The Carol G. Simon Cancer Center combines the latest medical technologies—including minimally invasive robotic surgery, image-guided radiation, genetic risk assessment and cytogenetics—with such complementary therapies as relaxation techniques, guided imagery, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga and massage…right here in your community. Patients and their families are embraced by a healing culture that touches the mind, body and spirit.
Our state-of-the-art facility is a major clinical research affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, as well as a participant in several research cooperative groups and pharmaceutical studies. This means patients have access to some of the most progressive and promising clinical trials in the nation.
Maintaining our continued commitment to healthcare and healing excellence requires grateful patients like Debbie Woodbury and others who live and work in our communities to give back. Your gifts enable Overlook—a nonprofit regional medical center—to offer clinical excellence in a wide range of specialty areas, including neuroscience, cancer care, women’s and children’s health, wound healing, bariatric surgery, pain management and palliative care.
For over a century, Overlook has survived and thrived thanks to support from grateful patients and other caring members of our community. Please continue to give to the medical center that stands at the ready with the gift of good health for yourfamily, friends and neighbors all year-round by supporting the Overlook Foundation’s 2011 Fall Appeal.