Cancer Warrior Not all of us will be presented with the opportunity to look death in the face and rise up to fight.
Pammie Eagle Jimmar is the Vice Vice President President of of Small Small Business & Events at the the Huntsville-Madison Huntsville-Madison County County Chamber of Commerce. She would would like like to to especially especially thank the amazing team at at Clearview Clearview Cancer Cancer Institute Institute and Hudson Alpha for continuing their their fight fight to to cure cure cancer. She would also like to to thank thank Inside Inside Medicine Medicine for affording her the opportunity to share share her her journey. journey. 8
I n s i d e M e d i c i n e | Fa l l I s s u e 2 0 1 9
by, Kari Kingsley, MSN, CRNP
Life always gives you a choice. Lay down and die or stand up and fight. Fighting is not a given. It’s a choice. A choice to become a warrior. But we are not born warriors. Life presents challenges and obstacles, and we make the choice to go to war. Webster’s Dictonary defines a warrior as a person engaged in struggle or conflict. But it is how that person enters into battle that makes them a true warrior. Rather than fighting out of obedience or allegiance, a true warrior engages in battle out of personal choice. On February 21, 2019, Pammie Eagle Jimmar was faced with the battle of her life. On that day, she heard the one word that would change her life forever. Cancer. Through all the amazing advancements in medical science, this one word can shake a person to their core. Pammie was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. A million thoughts went through her mind as her doctor laid out the unnerving news. “I am human. All kinds of things were going through my mind. I cried and cried and I cried!” Pammie’s thoughts immediately jumped to those she loved. “How would I tell my family and friends? Should I just keep silent?” After crying for what seemed like an eternity, Pammie drove home and told her Mom. Together they decided that this was just a bump in the road and that she, with the help of her family, would get through this. “I remember saying God’s got my back and I’ve got so much FAITH, so let’s get this battle started!” Rather than taking her new diagnosis lying down, Pammie took on this fight with grace, passion, intensity, and intelligence. She had unwavering faith that God’s grace and mercy would see her through. Pammie chose to become a warrior. The next few days were a blur. MRIs, CTs, Bone Density Scans, lab work and doctor appointments flooded Pammie’s schedule. She remembers the fear that came with each test. “It was scary because the machines were so huge, sterile and cold.” Pammie recalls crying at every doctor’s visit in the beginning because of fear of the unknown. This was a new diagnosis. New terminology. She had no idea what to expect. Luckily, she was placed in the care of a compassionate oncologist at Clearview Cancer Institute. The physician immediately told Pammie that together they would win this fight. His main goal was to keep her alive. This was music to her anxious ears. Soon after, Pammie underwent placement for a port-a-cath and began chemotherapy. She underwent a total of 4 treatments of Adriamycin to target
