A two-time ovarian cancer survivor is sharing her story. Carrie Hendrick is the athletic training program director at Averett University in Danville.
WDBJ7 first met Hendrick in the spring when she was going through chemotherapy and the Averett softball team was holding a game in her honor.
Since then Hendrick has beaten ovarian cancer for the second time and is trying to raise awareness by sharing her story.
This past April Carrie Hendrick was optimistic about her condition. She had a smile on her face as the Averett University community wrapped their arms of support around her.
“When in remission everyone celebrated with me but this go around everybody knew. Our Averett family is very close knit,” said Hendrick.
It’s been a long battle. A battle Hendrick thought she was only going to have to fight once. After beating ovarian cancer in December 2013, she was diagnosed again in August 2014. But Hendrick wasn’t going to give up.
“Either I can choose to mope away or I can choose to fight it,” Hendrick said.
With her boyfriend Brent Skipper by her side. The day they had waited for arrived. Two months ago, doctors told Hendrick she was cancer free. Her battle was over again.
“Carrie is one of the strongest girls I’ve ever met, probably the strongest,” Skipper said.
“But it doesn’t register as what i went through as being strength. I think, what kicks in is, it’s like, you have to live,” Hendrick said.
But whether she believes it or not. Hendrick has become an example for women and cancer survivors around the nation. And she is using September as Ovarian Cancer awareness month to help spread her message.
“Get checked. the paps, getting the check up because the signs and symptoms are not there,” she said.
Every year, nearly 22,000 women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.
“I’m sitting here today to say I beat it twice, and it can happen and I just hope that, that is giving somebody else the motivation that is going through what I went through to just keep going,” Hendrick said.
“Whatever comes next we are going to be optimistic. She is going to beat whatever, whatever the odds are. She’s going to win, absolute,” said Skipper.
Teal is the color of Ovarian Cancer.
You can help support Ovarian cancer with the simple hashtag – bleed teal.
Since being cancer free in July, Hendrick goes in for her first check up next week.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/southern-virginia/averett-university-athletic-training-program-director-beats-cancer-for-second-time/35193288