Beating Breast Cancer - Sherri Hendrix's story

Sherri Hendrix
Rome, Georgia

Sherri Hendrix, a native of Rome, Georgia, sat in the Salon Ten 17 chair waiting for her hair color to process. Chatting comfortably while waiting for the color to develop, Hendrix’s stylist stepped over to assist another client who had walked in.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hendrix watched as the stylist clipped back her hair and began to shave the woman’s head. A hush fell over the salon as the ladies felt the weight of the moment.

After the client left, Hendrix, filled with emotion, told her hair stylist about a suspicious lump in her own left breast. As she spoke, Hendrix remembered seeing some banners in front of AdventHealth Redmond advertising mammograms for only thirty dollars. On her drive home, Hendrix called the AdventHealth Redmond Women’s Center and made an appointment for the following week.

On May 27, 2022, Hendrix went to her appointment and was seen by Jill Jewitt, NP-C. After a brief exam, Jewitt ordered a mammogram and a subsequent ultrasound and biopsy. Holding her hand, Jewitt told Hendrix she was worried about the size and shape of the lump and would call her back the next day with the results of the biopsy.

Unfortunately, the biopsy showed Hendrix had cancer in her left breast. Together with the team at the AdventHealth Redmond Women’s Center, Hendrix thought through her treatment options. She was nervous about the road ahead but was comforted by the caring team members and nurse navigator who listened to her fears and thoughts about the unknown and helped her set up future appointments.

Hendrix works as the store director at Olea Olive Oils and Wine. In her personal life, she provides care for her mother who has dementia and her daughters and granddaughters who live nearby, so she is no stranger to stepping up to help others in their time of need. When she was faced with her own diagnosis, Hendrix was amazed and humbled by all the help and support that was given to her. With her fiancé, Eddie, friends, family, cancer care team and her tiny Shiatzu dog, Princess Diva, by her side, Hendrix bravely decided to undergo a mastectomy.

The week before her scheduled surgery, Hendrix’s mother fell and had a five-day hospital stay at AdventHealth Redmond. Hendrix was grateful for the care the team provided and surprised by the steady stream of cancer survivors that she serendipitously met during her stay. She met a woman in the cafeteria who told her she was recovering from cancer and found a nurse in the hospital who had recently undergone a mastectomy. By hearing about other women’s cancer journeys, Hendrix was more emotionally prepared to face her own surgery and recovery.

On July 7, 2022, Hendrix had surgery and went home to the comfort of her community and Princess Diva, who never once left her side. Six days later, Hendrix received the call that her results showed she was cancer free and would not have to undergo radiation therapy. Today, Hendrix is forever grateful for the team at the AdventHealth Redmond Women’s Center and the thirty-dollar mammogram that saved her life.

“I have made a family bond with the Women’s Center team that will never die. They were with me through the toughest of my days, and I’m forever grateful for their compassion and care,” said Hendrix.