The following article is reprinted with the kind permission of The Tattnall Journal from the Thursday, October 16, 2008 edition.
Coping with cancer - Kim Tatum shares her story on fighting breast cancer
by Melinda Huling
Staff Writer for The Tattnall Journal
Breast cancer probably touches every family in America in one way or another. For Kim Tatum and her family, it was an unexpected sledgehammer. She had gone for a routine mammogram on March 24, 2008 , at Evans Memorial Hospital .
“When they came out and said, don’t get dressed, I began preparing for the possibility of cancer. You think the worst,” she said.
The spot was suspicious enough that the office did a sonogram on the same day. She, like numerous other patients, then had to wait for the results. There is no history of breast cancer in her family.
Her doctor saw her that week. A biopsy was scheduled in Savannah for April 3. On April 7 she received the call from Dr. Charles Usher.
“With one phone call, my life and the lives of those of my family, changed forever,” she said quietly. She was at home with her daughter, Kay-Lyn. “We were scheduled for a photography session for Kay-Lyn out of town. When my doctor called I asked, ‘Is it bad?’” she recounted. She remembers his words well, “Any time you have cancer, it is bad but I think we can deal with this,” he told her.
“My daughter and I had a cry and talk together at home before leaving to tell other family members,” she said.
She called her husband Ken. He wanted the news right then. Kim went to visit her in-laws, Kennon and Lyndal Tatum and her parents, Kenneth and Kay Youngblood at their homes to tell them.
“Telling my parents was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” she said with tears flowing softly down her cheeks. Everyone was upset including her 16-year-old son, Kameron, a junior at Pinewood Christian Academy and her nephew, Tyler Trull, who is like a son to her.
“Family is everything to my daddy. We have a very special relationship,” she said. “He kept saying, ‘Why can’t it be me.’ I knew that I had to be strong because everyone was so upset.”
She told her family, “Whatever it is, I’m going to be fine whether it is that I’m going to meet Jesus or get well. I need all of you to be fine.”
She and her daughter went ahead with the scheduled photography session. “I was moving in slow motion and felt as if I could barely put one foot in front of the other. It was raining the day I heard and I felt as if the whole world was crying,” she said. But on that trip, she ran into a lady that had undergone a terrible trauma. “It made me realize that, while what you are going through may be bad, there are people who are going through worse things,” she explained.
Praying to make the right decision, she felt she should have a mastectomy but after discussions with medical personnel, that procedure was ruled out. On April 17, 2008 , she had surgery and the lump was removed. Her test results were triple negative. She had to wait five days to hear from Dr. Usher if the cancer had reached her lymph system. The cancer was contained in the breast area.
She was referred to the J.C. and Nancy Lewis Cancer Research Center in Savannah , making her first visit on April 25, 2008 . Seeing her oncologist Dr. Mark Taylor, she asked him to tell her plainly what she had to deal with.
“Your glass is more than half-full because the cancer is not in the lymph nodes,” he said.
She had only praise for her surgeon and Dr. Taylor. A Patient Navigation Specialist was also assigned to her. This person helps you through the entire process and you can call on them 24/7. “The Lewis Cancer Center is a wonderful facility,” she said. Her chemotherapy began the first week of May with six treatments scheduled. She was told she would probably lose her hair.
On May 8, 2008 , her family had a “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow Party.” All her family members helped cut her hair. She admits that she likes to be in control and this was one step in the process that she could control. Her sister is a hairdresser and after her children, husband, nephew and four-year-old cousin cut pieces of her hair, her sister shaped it up and cut her hair very short. Some days she wears a hat and on other days, she doesn’t. “The boys don’t think I should wear a hat,” she said.
“I was blessed during the chemo treatments in Savannah because I was not sick at all,” she said. During the summer, her kids would go with her some and her husband went a number of times. It takes four hours for the therapy and family members can go back with you. Patients are given a pill an hour prior to treatment to control the nausea. She admits that the first day, she lost it and cried like a baby when she walked into the facility. “The staff is wonderful at the cancer center,” she said. She normally would take her computer or read magazines. On her last day of chemotherapy, August 21, 2008 , her family sent her a huge bouquet of flowers to the center. “I fell apart,” she said. “It was my daddy’s idea,” she said.
The radiation treatments have been the worst with her first treatment September 3 in Statesboro. Scheduled for nine treatments in Statesboro, she has five more that will target the tumor site. “It burns,” she said simply. She is scheduled to see her surgeon and oncologist every three months. The 30-minute ride to Statesboro is her alone time.
Ken, her husband of 24 years, tries to be extra strong for her. “He is very thoughtful and will get me a card for no reason,” she said with a smile. “He is the perfect husband and daddy and very laid back. I’ve always been a very emotional type person.”
Working at the prison for 15 years, she feels God lead her to her present job. She wanted to spend more time with her children and looked for another position. She has been employed with Ace Hardware for eight years. “My boss, Elliott Lanier, and fellow workers have been very supportive and understanding,” she said. “It is like working for family. I haven’t had to worry about my job while going through all this other trauma,” she explained. If she misses work, she tries to go into the office at night and make up the time.
“I won’t ever be normal again but will have a new normal,” she said. Through this process, she has learned that it doesn’t always happen to Susie down the street. “Serving as Relay for Life chairperson for 10 years, you don’t think about it striking you. After having cancer, you definitely put life in perspective,” she said. “I have a temper but am learning that you do not sweat the small stuff. I’ve always been a very strong person,” she said. “A sense of humor is also very important.”
“Men don’t know how to approach me or seem to know what to say since the cancer is in my breast,” said Kim. “It may be that entire Southern gentleman thing,” she said with a smile. She believes having a positive attitude is 99 percent of the battle. It is obvious that she has a very strong faith in God. “I know that God has been with me through each stage of my illness,” she said. She is a member of Pineview Baptist Church .
“I believe that God wants me to make people aware of breast cancer and to help people to turn to God. Her family and sense of humor, along with good friends are helping her to deal with living with cancer. Her advice to all women is to have an annual mammogram. “Early detection saves lives,” she said. “By the time I would have found this type cancer by self-examination, it would probably have been in my lymph nodes since it is a very evasive type of cancer.” So far, all of her lab work has been good. Her last radiation treatment is December 17, 2008 .
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Kim Tatum is one of thousands of women along with some men, who must daily face cancer and its aftermath. It takes courage and fortitude. The Tattnall Journal appreciates her willingness to share her story.