For Misti Irvin, the meaning of hope has been different at every stage in her battle with cancer. But first, she had to find it.
In 2013, Misti was diagnosed with rapid stage 2 breast cancer. “I thought that was the end. A cancer diagnosis at 37 with two small kids – I didn’t think I’d see them go to kindergarten,” says Misti. It was at that moment that her initial resignation turned into a steely determination that she would see her kids not just go to kindergarten, but also one day get married.
Hope is the laughter that I get from my kids, the laughter I give to my kids. Hope is living.
Working with UT Southwestern, Misti had a bilateral mastectomy followed by chemo and then a hysterectomy. At each stage during this challenging process she found hope: in her doctors, in her nurses, and, finally, as of March 2018, in her remission. And now hope has taken on a different meaning yet again. Says Misti, “Hope feels like brushing my kids’ hair. Hope is the laughter that I get from my kids, the laughter I give to my kids. Hope is living.”
Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
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