The fight against breast cancer has long been a passionate subject for survivor Claire Harrison and her family.
“My mom had breast cancer in 1973, I battled cancer for the first time in 2002, and my sister-in-law, Sharon Ewing Walker, died of cancer in 2005,” Claire explains.
With the loss of Sharon, Claire’s family was determined to invest in local cancer care by helping to establish the Sharon Ewing Walker Breast Health Center. Since that time, they have continued to actively support the area’s cancer services. Claire’s brother, Claude Walker, serves on the Tallahassee Memorial Foundation Board and the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center Fund-raising steering Committee, and their mother, Maye Walker, leads the volunteer group that cares for the center’s outdoor Healing Garden. Last year, their efforts proved to be a source of support not only to the community, but also for one of their own.
After 10 years of being cancer free, Claire had a routine mammogram that revealed some suspicious calcifications. Debilitated by a severe ankle injury at the time, she was unable to have a diagnostic mammotome for several months. When the test was performed, she found she was battling cancer again and would need a full mastectomy, chemotherapy, and long-term treatment with medication.
Claire was referred to Tim Broeseker, MD, Hematologist/Oncologist, and began chemotherapy treatments in Tallahassee Memorial’s main hospital building where she had received radiation therapy throughout her first battle with cancer. In mid-July 2012, services expanded at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center, allowing Claire to receive all of her remaining treatments in the new space.
“The Cancer Center is cheerful and offers more privacy during treatments, which puts you in a better state of mind. My physician and everyone else I have come into contact with at the Cancer Center have been absolutely fantastic,” she says.
After a total of 18 months spent healing from her ankle injury and undergoing extensive cancer treatment, Claire was eager to get back to one of her favorite pastimes -- horseback riding. “It feels like a million bucks to be horseback riding again,” she says.
Having returned to her hobbies and full health, Claire has also inspired another generation in her family to rally in the fight against breast cancer.
“When you go through something like this, it really pulls your family together. My family was great and that really is the silver lining,” says Claire.
