Cancer Institute Donation Stories
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Delphyne Lomax's Diagnosis Saves Another's Life
Delphyne Lomax, Cancer Survivor, Shares a Powerful Message, His Legacy Lives On
In 2013, Delphyne was 55 and rebuilding her life after divorce when a chance conversation at a women’s wellness walk changed her future. Uninsured at the time, she learned about a grant that could help her receive a mammogram. She scheduled an appointment and, on October 1, received her screening in Northside Hospital’s mobile mammography unit—funded by charitable events like the one she spoke at.
Soon after, she received the news no woman wants to hear. What was first believed to be stage zero breast cancer was later diagnosed as stage 2 triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease.
Treatment brought surgery, chemotherapy and radiation—along with the difficult side effects that came with them. But Delphyne fought with determination, refusing to let cancer take her spirit or her identity.
Because of supporters like you, a mobile mammography unit was there the day I needed it most. When you give, you are not just donating money, you are giving hope, health and more time with the people we love.
Her diagnosis also saved another life. After urging her sister Lisa to get screened, Lisa learned that she, too, had Stage 2 breast cancer.
The sisters underwent treatment at the same time, supporting one another through uncertainty, fatigue and the emotional toll of the disease. They FaceTimed through chemo, traded tips for staying positive and celebrated each step forward together.
Today, Delphyne is cancer-free. She remarried during her treatment year, continues run her own business and enjoys her family and grandchildren. She credits her early detection, and her survival, to donors and community fundraising efforts that made her mammogram possible.
Her message to the audience was simple and urgent: get screened, take care of yourself and keep supporting access to care so more women can hear the words she did:
“You are cancer-free.”