IN MEMORY OF BARBARA ATKINSON RUSSELL

When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I was so scared. The journey was tough, but the cancer center at Northside was unbelievable. Every single employee encountered there was so friendly and understanding. They all seemed to go out of their way for me, making every comment, need, or health issue a top priority. The nurses and staff were the absolute best!

Sometimes being OCD has its advantages! I had my routine mammogram penciled in exactly as how my physician had advised. At age 42, I went in for my 2nd mammogram. Little did I know that mammogram would save my life. I was fortunate to have had an early detection of a slow growing cancerous tumor. After undergoing and recovering from the surgery, I have been in the care of Northside hospital Oncologists and nurses. They have provided me with what feels like a personalized treatment plan with my very own personal care team. I should be cancer free once my radiation treatment finishes at Northside this August. I am thankful for the immense support and love from my friends and family during this journey. I would strongly recommend that all women above 40 go through their annual mammograms. It is better to go through a minute of discomfort and get an early detection than to endure a treatment later in the game.

I am excited to be a team captain for Tennis Against Breast Cancer this year. It is for such a great cause. I have had two aunts with breast cancer and two very good friends, one who is a 11 year survivor and the other who is a 2 year survivor. There are many others close to me that this disease has affected them and their families and I hope to make an impact by raising money for Northside Hospital Breast Cancer Research!

I played in this wonderful event last year, not knowing that I had a breast cancer mass growing inside me. I was diagnosed December 7, 2016 and began treatment January 3rd, 2017. I completed my treatments in April and had a double mastectomy in May. I will be on a cancer maintenance drug for a year. I am back to playing tennis regularly (I did continue to play during my chemotherapy treatments) and am feeling great! I’m looking forward to participating again in this fundraiser, this time as a cancer survivor!!

We cannot express all our gratitude to the HEARTstrings program for making our little girl’s life so special. The program coordinated many angels to care for our sweet girl, so that though her life was brief, she knew only love. She changed not only the life of our family, but many other families as well.

I have been a case manager for the Women's Center at Northside for the past 8 years. I have worked with many families in the NICU and assisted them with getting transportation, helped them with getting resources for paying bills and gathering baby supplies for their babies. Having a program like Miracle Babies allows parents to know that there is some support available through their difficult time.