According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a warrior is “someone who has experience and skill in fighting.” Tyra Pearson’s battle was against her own body, and her victory against cancer was a result of her own determination as well as that of the doctors treating her. Now, as a breast cancer warrior, Pearson encourages and informs other women going through the same battle.
Pearson was on her second mammogram when the doctors found something. A biopsy showed that it was benign, and her follow-up was also positive. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and Pearson found herself putting off her next annual appointment. Once she realized that, she was determined to go at the next opportunity.
“I have anxiety, so they wouldn’t call me back fast enough,” Pearson said. “I got a hold of my doctor, and she said, ‘Hey, something showed up.’”
She found out she had breast cancer on her youngest daughter’s birthday. Pearson was 42 years old.
“For about two hours, nobody could find me,” Pearson said. “My father passed away about four years ago from cancer, and I went to my dad’s grave, and I just sat and I talked to him.”
She also called her brother, who told her she had to fight, no matter what — and that’s what she did. As a single mother of three, she had to be strong for her kids, and she continued going to work throughout the entire treatment.
“I really shocked myself by the way that I handled the situation, but I’ve just been praying about it, going strong, and talking to people,” Pearson said. “I’ve just put up the fight.”
Fortunately, Pearson caught her cancer early. She did not have to go through chemotherapy, but she did have surgery at TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital, followed by 20 rounds of radiation at another facility. TriStar has some of the newest 3D imaging technology in the area, and Pearson said their staff made her feel welcome.
“Dr. Jessen was my surgeon,” Pearson said. “He saw that I was scared, and he was like, ‘Can I pray with you?’ And he got on his knees, and he prayed with me, and that really meant a lot to me.”
Eight months after receiving the diagnosis, Pearson’s scan showed her cancer-free. At first, she considered herself a cancer survivor, Pearson said, before a brief conversation changed the way she saw her journey.
“A lady walked up to me, and she was like, ‘let’s not say survivor, let’s say warrior,’ and she was like, ‘we’re just going to keep pushing,’” Pearson said.
Taking that designation to heart, Pearson has made it a point to share her story and encourage other women to get tested. Especially in her work at AT&T, she has found conversations with women about cancer, mammograms, and the importance of early testing. She has also encouraged women to be strong and fight, just as she did.
“Sometimes, as women, we let things get to us,” Pearson said. “Don’t give up, don’t get yourself down, try to stay positive. Positive is the key word.”
Early detection of breast cancer is possible with TriStar’s technology, and yearly mammograms save lives. Pearson said if she had waited, her diagnosis could have been much, much worse.
“Don’t think that it can’t happen to you,” Pearson said. “No matter how old — young or old — anybody can get breast cancer.”
