11 minute read
Joyce Williams
Story by Cindy Reid | Photos by Michelle Halloway
Joyce Williams is a breast cancer survivor whose passion is helping others who are going through what she experienced. She is the founder of the Keepers of the Flame: Breast Cancer Resource Center, where “Together We Weather the Storm,” and the mission is “to shine light into the darkness, empowering women, and our communities, to weather breast cancer.”
Joyce says that the idea of a lighthouse initially came to her after her mastectomy. “I saw my scars in the mirror for the first time and I didn’t recognize myself. I looked down and saw a lighthouse charm on my bracelet, and it clicked that I wasn’t the only one. Afterwards I spoke with other women who had survived and made it to the other side of their own storms, and they became my lighthouses.”
“Together, we wanted to shine that light for others, so we participated in a 60 mile walk to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Because the original lighthouse had flames, the idea became Keepers of the Flame, and Together We Weather.”
After the event, Joyce wanted to take the support and outreach even further, and thus founded Keepers of the Flame.
Six Pillars of Resilience
“I am really excited to be in Effingham Magazine right now because my YouTube channel just went live, and I want women to know about this free support,” says Joyce. “On the channel I present The Six Pillars of Resilience, which is a researchbased curriculum consisting of ten short classes (YouTube videos). In it I talk about support, resources, resilience, and simple strategies that people can do each day to strengthen their own resilience and to help the breast cancer survivor weather their own storm.”
She stresses that the classes are totally free and available to anyone. Joyce says each class is only 10 to 15 minutes long because “people dealing with breast cancer have too much on their plate to sit for an hour class.” The classes range from the first “Finding Resilience After Breast Cancer” to the last two ‘practical classes:’ “Emotional Resilience,” with information from Building Blocks Family “I am not grateful for cancer, but I Counseling in Pooler, and “Physical Resilience,” now have a mission to help anyone which includes practical information on yoga and else by exposing my hurt and my mindfulness from Mary at The Barre and Yoga Room healing to other women in order to in Rincon. provide information and support.” Podcast Before the YouTube channel, Joyce created a podcast series of educational and support episodes for those fighting breast cancer. “Every Wednesday I interviewed an expert, usually medical experts, on breast cancer topics,” says Joyce. In May 2020 she celebrated the one year mark for episodes.
LEARN MORE: YouTube Channel: Keepers of the Flame: Breast Cancer Support | www.togetherweweather.org Podcasts available via website, iTunes, and Google Podcast | togetherweweather | #togetherweweatherthisstorm
The podcast topics include: • Working with Grief & Traumatic Loss • Breast Cancer Basics with Breast
Surgeon, Dr. William Burak • Radiation Oncology with Dr. Michael
Hasselle • 3D nipple and areola tattooing with professional medical tattoo artist,
Renee Maschinot • Chemotherapy with Vanessa Brink (NP in medical oncology) • Lymphedema with Expert Corie
Turley, and other medical topics.
The podcast is available on iTunes and Google Podcasts, and through the Keepers of the Flame website.
Joyce’s Story
“I grew up a Navy brat and my husband Bryan grew up an Army brat. We went to high school together in Virginia but were just friends back then. We met up after college and ended up in Colorado together and then to Georgia. He is an aerospace engineer at Gulfstream. My college degree is in Biology and I was a biology teacher at South Effingham High School.”
Joyce remembers, “I was teaching biology and one day I was talking about chromosomal inheritance, and thought ‘hmm, maybe I should look into that for colon cancer, because it ran in my family.’”
Forward a few years later to 2017 and Joyce was now a stayat-home mother to their two little girls, Leona, 4, and Sage, 5. She was at her OBGYN for a routine checkup and decided to finally get that colon cancer genetic screening. She says she filled out the questionnaire for colon cancer and the BRCA2 test was simply an “add on.”
What Is BRCA?
The name “BRCA” is an abbreviation for “BReast CAncer gene.” BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two different genes that have been found to impact a person’s chances of developing breast cancer.
Every human has both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Despite what their names might suggest, BRCA genes do not cause breast cancer. In fact, these genes normally play a big role in preventing breast cancer. They help repair DNA breaks that can lead to cancer and the uncontrolled growth of tumors. Because of this, the BRCA genes are known as tumor suppressor genes.
However, in some people these tumor suppression genes do not work properly. When a gene becomes altered or broken, it doesn’t function correctly. This is called a gene mutation. A small percentage of people (about one in 400, or 0.25% of the population) carry mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. A BRCA mutation occurs when the DNA that makes up the gene becomes damaged in some way. (www. nationalbreastcancer.org/what-is-brca)
The Tests Come Back
Joyce’s test results came back negative for the colon cancer mutation but positive for BRCA2.
“It was a complete shock to me and my doctor because there was absolutely no history of breast cancer in my family,” says Joyce, “but this meant the risk of me developing breast cancer was 84% chance in my lifetime.”
Joyce had a mammogram, and it was negative. Six months later she had an MRI and they found three masses in the same breast. “Within ten months I had a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction breast surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and a complete hysterectomy, because BRCA2 means an elevated risk for ovarian cancer.”
She was 36 years old.
Joyce says “Biology is, by definition, the study of life; and my study of biology actually ended up saving my life. I am not grateful for cancer, but I now have a mission to help anyone else by exposing my hurt and my healing to other women in order to provide information and support.”
In addition to her many activities through Keepers of the Flame, Joyce is a Survivor Ambassador volunteer at Susan G Komen Coastal Georgia, part of the Survivorship Committee at Memorial, recently participated in the virtual Race for the Cure, and organized an annual SwimA-Thon fundraiser in her neighborhood with her daughters.
Snowflake Project
Close to her heart is the Snowflake Project, which came about in a very personal way. As Joyce tells it, “On a chilly December day back in 2017, when I was overcome with turmoil, I put my hands together to pray. Within seconds, I heard Randy Travis’s song, Three Wooden Crosses, play on the radio. I was afraid of dying, of not being there for my children,
of being ripped away from this world sooner than I wanted. I didn’t have much control over when my time would come, none of us do.” “As I listened to the song, the lines, “I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go,” sunk in. I was terrified of dying, and it bugged me immensely that I didn’t have control over that. But then it hit me, I could control HOW I lived while I was here; and I started to wonder: what do I want to leave behind?” “That’s when a quote that I love so much, first came to my mind. ‘If acts of kindness were like snowflakes, unique in their own beauty, then when we’d increase these acts, we’d see snow.’ That’s it! I wanted to leave behind metaphorical ‘snow.’ I might not be able to control when my time comes, but each day that I am here, I can work on making another snowflake. I can be kind. I can show up for people.” This is the second year Joyce and her girls are creating a Snowflake Project. Last year, Leona and Sage did chores around the house to help pay for purchasing eight new stuffed “I might not be able to control animals to donate to their local police department to be given when my time comes, but each to children experiencing a traumatic event. day that I am here, I can...be This year they will use the funds they raise through kind. I can show up for people” baking to fund a scholarship for the Building Blocks Family Counseling class “Making Lemonade: How to Make Lemonade When Cancer Keeps Giving You Lemons” online course. Joyce urges everyone to make their own “snowflakes” of compassion and love—“let’s let it snow!”
Family Life
The Williams enjoys spending time together with family bike rides and family game nights. Today Joyce is doing well and says that “we must live our lives. We are changed from our experiences, but these experiences don’t have to define us.” She plans on continuing her work with those fighting breast cancer and says, “I may not have control over my cancer, my BRCA2 mutation, or even whether or not I passed that gene onto my children; but I do have control (in part) over the kind of world that I want to leave for my children.” “I know from personal experience just how rough a cancer diagnosis and treatments can be, and I promise you that you don't have to do this alone. I am happy to tell anybody my story because I don’t want anyone to feel they are the only one. We may have to be the ones to walk the walk, but we don’t have to do it alone.” n
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Decor owner and creator Tiffany Siegmund says, “We are a unique upscale home decor store. We aren’t stuffy and we aren’t a shop you visit once or twice. We are the fun, imaginative shop you visit often because something new is always coming in.” Not just an exceptional shopping experience, Wanderings offers home decor, instructional classes, and design services.
“My decor has always been a little vintage, a little new and always eclectic. I pick pieces that speak to me. I have never followed the trends,” says Tiffany. “I am happy to help people decorate their homes in the way they love, not generic ‘rustic farmhouse’ or ‘coastal.’ We can work together to make your house a haven you will love for years to come.”
Tiffany and her husband James are a retired military family who chose Springfield as their hometown. After traveling up the east coast last year with the Vintage Market Days, they purchased a 1940’s building in downtown Springfield that they spent nine months remodeling to create Wanderings, which opened in July.
Home Decor
“Home decorating is happening now because people are spending more time inside and they want to create a happy and inviting space.” Tiffany says changes can be simple and small. “Bring in pictures of your rooms and I will be happy to help you choose items to refresh and add to your existing decor.”
Fall and winter means holiday entertaining, so check out the serving dishes with inspirational quotes, the upmarket trays, galvanized tin chargers and white terra cotta bowls and trays. Unique frames, nested copper pots and stands, copper faceted glass vases, tear drop lantern sets and rustic hand carved mango wood candlesticks can highlight your table and mantle. Stay cozy with rugs, textile hangings, placemats, and tassel throw blankets.
Holiday Decor & Gifts
Wanderings hosted “Jolly Santa’s Open House” and Tiffany looks forward to welcoming customers to the store over the holidays. “Come see our fabulous decorations, including huge nutcrackers, the large antique sled and all our festive trees.”
While you’re there, shop their curated collection of ornaments and decor, and find uniquely lovely gifts like Teacher Stem Vases, NC Willow Hill soaps, and handmade jewelry. And don’t forget family fun items such as Smore’s Sticks, Marshmallow Roasting Sticks, and the Tartan cookie plate set!
Tiffany says she prefers to support small businesses and tries to carry “Made in USA” merchandise as much as possible. She considers the vendors she works with as friends. This is all in keeping with Wanderings focus on the personal touch, as she says, “I am not a big box store! I am here to talk to you about your needs for your home.”
Come by and enjoy Wanderings Design & Decor’s holiday decorations and you just might go home with a few pieces of inspired home decor for your own cozy nest!
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