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Kathy Jones
Don’t sweat the small things.
That’s what 52-year-old Kathy Jones has learned after being diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago.
But it took Jones some time to learn that after her diagnosis, which came after she found a good-sized lump during a self exam.
“I was diagnosed through biopsy. I had a mammogram that was negative,” Jones says. “And I had yearly mammograms. It just didn’t rear its ugly head in those. My granddaughter was 5 months old. I was actually holding her in my arms when I got that call. She was sleeping, sleeping in my arms. You think you’re ready, you’re not.”
Jones says she was devastated after finding out she had breast cancer.
“The first thing you think is you’re going to die,” she says. “You hear cancer and you think I’m going to die, and I’m not ready to die. I have this grandbaby … I was thinking you know, I just want to be here for my granddaughter, my boys. I don’t think anybody is ready to let go.”
Jones underwent 10 months of treatment, which included different types of chemotherapy, radiation and multiple surgeries, including a bilateral mastectomy.
What helped Jones get through her diagnosis and treatment was her faith. The Habersham County resident has attended church in White County for 40 years, growing up with Crescent Hill Baptist Church and now attending Helen First Baptist.
“It really makes you appreciate the life you have,” Jones says. “I’m a woman of faith, and instead of making me bitter, it just, to me it drew me closer and made me think of how I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”
Following her diagnosis, Jones says she had people asking if people they knew that had a positive diagnosis could talk to her. And she said of course.
“I’ll do what I can to encourage other women, because they need to know it’s not the death sentence it used to be,” she says. “There’s so many options, treatment options out there, but it is scary. It is a scary diagnosis. I know for me it helped to hear survivor stories.”
Now Jones is going on three years cancer free, and she encourages women to get checked.
“Early detection is key,” she says. “Get those mammograms and do those self breast checks … be aware of your body and any changes you feel. If anything concerns you, it doesn’t matter if somebody might think you’re crazy, get it checked. Don’t wait. Get a second opinion if you have to.”