71-year-old Celestine Sneed has a smile as bright as the sun’s rays. To look at her glowing face, you would never know all she’s been through, or how much hurt and anger she had to release in order to get her joy back. The medical system failed her, but God never did.
“I was examining myself in bed and in the shower and I noticed the mass,” she recalls. “I had to tell the doctors, there’s something there.”
But her claim was hard to prove.
Like millions of responsible women, Celestine faithfully completed her annual physicals. For 35 consecutive years, she had mammograms done, but her results fell into the 40 percent of mammograms that don’t detect cancer.
In 2009, Celestine was absolutely sure of what she felt and knew it needed further investigation. But without supporting mammography evidence, doctors didn’t move on it right away.
Once Celestine’s medical team finally performed a study to see what was going on in her body, she got the devastating news that rocked her world in 2011.
It was cancer after all, and it was in Stage 3.
Had Celestine not become her own breast health advocate, she likely would not be here today.
Aggressive treatment was a must.
“For a while, I was very angry with the doctors,” Celestine tells EEW Magazine. “I figured, ‘Here I am doing the right thing, and then this shows up!’”
Understandably, she was frustrated with the process, but she yet submitted to her Oncologist’s recommendations. “I never fought against any treatment. If I wanted to live and stop the cancer cells, I knew I would have to go through all the treatment.”
That’s exactly what she did at the Cancer Institute of Washington Hospital Center in DC.
Celestine had her left breast removed that June, followed by chemotherapy, and 28 treatments of radiation. And for 5 years, hormone treatments will be necessary to keep the cancer from recurring.
“You can imagine me being devastated,” she says, but Celestine managed to pull herself together with lots of prayer, love and support from her husband and family.
“My family was very supportive of me and my husband. I thank God I’m doing fine right now and my hair is gradually coming back. I’m exercising again and trying to get back to normal,” Celestine says.
These days, she walks three miles three days a week, dances two days a week, and goes to a local wellness center to stay in optimal health.
Though many would still harbor serious resentment and never let it go, Celestine has chosen to focus on something more important.
“I’m so thankful that I’m here to tell about it,” she says, “God spared my life.”
