Trust your Intuition

“I never thought in a million years I would get breast cancer at 82,” Evelyn Crump said about her breast cancer diagnosis.

“I was out gardening one day, and as I crouched down to tend to my plants, I felt something hard in my left breast,” Crump said. “I’m a pretty active person, so I thought it was probably just a tight muscle but thought I should get checked out just in case.”

Crump met with her doctors and did a biopsy, which came back positive for cancer. While talking with her doctors about her options, they discussed doing a half-mastectomy to remove the left breast as there wasn’t any evidence of cancer in the right breast. But Crump knew something was wrong in her right breast as well.

“I kept saying, something is wrong, something is wrong,” Crump said. “And so, between me and my daughter, we decided I’d just have a double mastectomy anyway. And they did find cancer. The lab found cancer in it afterwards. So, I was lucky that we found it.”

In the weeks following her double mastectomy, Crump started chemotherapy at AdventHealth Gordon’s Cancer Center and thus far has had little to no side effects.

“I told him I don’t believe they’re giving me chemo,” Crump joked with her surgeon. “I think they’re giving me energy medicine because I’ve got energy galore.”

Helping to guide her through her journey is AdventHealth Gordon nurse navigator, Christine Bond, RN, BS, OCN, CN-BN. Nurse navigators walk patients through every step of their cancer experience. They make appointments, answer questions and support patients in any way they need.

“That’s what I love most about my job — helping patients navigate the hurdles,” Bond says of her experience as a nurse navigator. “Whether it’s assisting with appointments, providing resources, answering questions or simply being there to listen and offer support. It’s deeply rewarding to make a positive impact in the lives of our patients.”

The pair met as Crump was just beginning her cancer journey, the day of her diagnosis.

“I think she and I just bonded instantly because she has the most compassionate, caring voice of anybody I’ve ever heard in my life,” Crump said. “She’s just one in a million is all I can say. She and I have a special bond. Even when I get well, I think I’ll still go over there and talk to her.”

Crump said Bond helped her one day when she was struggling with losing her hair.

“She said, ‘Evelyn, they can’t tell that you’re losing your hair,’” Crump said of a conversation she had with Bond. “’Don’t be telling people you’re losing your hair. It is so pretty, and it always looks good.’ She was just so compassionate about that.”

Bond also reminded Crump she had her wig for when she lost her hair. When Crump first began treatment, Bond set Crump up with a wig so she was already prepared for when her hair began falling out as a side effect of the chemo.

“She made me feel so good, of all the things that she’s done,” Crump said. “That just helped me so much to know that people aren’t really looking at me losing my hair. I needed that little push.”

Crump not only sang praises about Bond but she also expressed how much all the staff at AdventHealth Gordon has cared for and supported her through this experience.

“All the nurses, the doctors and the care team at the hospital are fantastic too,” Crump said. “I cannot complain, and I cannot brag on them enough. They cared enough to make me realize that I can fight and beat this dreadful disease with their help and my family and friends’ help.”

In the wake of her diagnosis, Crump’s daughter and two of her granddaughters got the BRCA genetic test along with other family members who have since followed in their footsteps. The test looks for changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes which can signal an increased risk of breast cancer.

“My diagnosis has shown my family the importance of getting tested for genetic markers and has reinforced the need for screenings for early detection,” Crump said. “My advice to any woman is to get your mammograms. I don’t care how old you are or what you find out, have those mammograms.”

Despite being 82 years young, Crump refuses to let her diagnosis get her down or keep her from living her life.

“I just love life, and I’ve always loved life, and I’m going to live it to the fullest till the day I die.”

Is it time for you to follow Crump’s advice? If so, schedule a mammogram in Rome, Calhoun or Chatsworth by visiting PinkPorchGA.com or calling Call800-776-5102.

Join Crump, AdventHealth and our community as we light our porches pink during October to show our support and lift up those who have faced or are still facing breast cancer. Visit PinkPorchGA.com to find where to pick up your free pink bulb starting September 15 while supplies last.