Donna Laymon, Self Regional Cancer Center patient and breast cancer survivor
In September of 2013, Donna Laymon had her yearly mammogram at Self Regional Healthcare Cancer Center. She scheduled it for a Friday morning and took the day off from work so that afterwards she could enjoy a long weekend. However, Donna’s routine mammogram showed some abnormalities and she was asked to return for some more tests. More tests led to a biopsy, which led to a breast cancer diagnosis.
“After I heard the word ‘cancer,’ I thought that this was the end for me,” Donna said. “I just shut down.” It wasn’t until she picked up a paintbrush that Donna began to let herself hope. “Once I started painting – it’s like everything changed,” she said. “I was able to listen to my doctors, family and friends and, most importantly, I was able to believe them when they said that I was going to be ok.”
Donna painted throughout her treatment – through surgery, through six weeks of daily radiation treatments and through her months of recovery – and she’s still painting today, healthy and cancer free.