Breazeale stresses importance of checkups

Breazeale stresses importance of checkups

Posted

October is wrapping up as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the dread disease.

“Recognizing it will hopefully will encourage other people to go and have their checkup and follow up,” said breast cancer survivor Gail Breazeale of Neshoba County. “Sometimes when you are young, you get overpowered with your family, work and going to ballgames.

The Democrat published a special section last week memorializing those lost and celebrating surivors with informative articles about prevention.

Breazeale stressed prevention. “I think it is exactly what it says. It makes people more aware. You might miss a year and think it is no big deal. But it is a big deal. If caught early, it can be minimal. With the acknowledgement of the people who survived, it can help people who are just finding out.”

Breazeale had a lot going on in November 2018 but she didn’t expect to find out she had breast cancer.

“For years, you take for granted a healthy mammogram,” said Breazeale. “I worked for a long time in the Neshoba County schools and they promote wellness. We would always go and get out mammograms because the insurance covered it.

“Mine were always fine. I have no breast cancer history in my family.”  At the time, Gail was busy taking care of sick family members.

“My husband, Alan Breazeale, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017. He passed away this past April. He was having stem cell transplants. We were having infusions. transfusing blood and platelets all the time. He was diagnosed April of 2017.

“My mother suffered a heart attack. She moved in with us on hospice so I could take care of both of them. She passed in October of 2018.

Breazeale had her regular mammogram in November. But then she was called back for a follow-up.

“They saw a little something,” Breazeale said. “The girl at Neshoba General was wonderful. She wouldn’t give up. She noticed a little change, Then I had an ultrasound. They had found a lump.”

She was sent to the oncologist in Meridian. She went to a surgeon and he said it needed to be removed.

On January 3, 2019, she had the lump removed. They also removed some lymph nodes. The doctors discovered the cancer was early stage one and it was not in the lymph nodes.

“They got it all,” Breazeale said. “I had 35 radiation treatments. I am taking medicine for five years to make sure it won’t come back. And I have had two mammograms since that have come back ok.”

While this is going on, she was also taking care of Alan and his battle with leukemia.

“At the time, I didn’t have a lot of time to worry about the breast cancer,” Gail said. “Alan was worried about it so I had to act like I wasn’t worried about it. When you are going through something like this, it puts your family in pain. You see the pain that your illness is causing your family. You have to be strong. I couldn’t really let them know how it felt. I wanted to be strong for them.

“Now, I am a lot better. My faith is stronger.”

She is a member of the Ocobla Baptist Church and she said her church family was there for her.

“They brought meals,” said Gail. “They would take me to my appointments in Meridian and someone would stay with Allen when I was gone. They took us to Jackson for his appointments. We wouldn’t have made it without them.”

She said she looks at the world differently today.

When something like this happens, your priorities totally change,” said Breazeale. “Your faith and your family, that’s all that matters. It completely reverses what you were thinking.

“The way I look at it, from Jan. 3 and my surgery, I consider from then on being cancer free,” said Breazeale. “By the grace of God, I think I am clear. I will go back in December for another test.”






Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions