Three-Time Cancer Survivor Shares Story

For today's Motivation with Marissa, a three-time breast cancer survivor shares her incredible story of strength and resilience in hopes of helping others. This is Desi Waters triumphantly ringing that bell after successfully beating cancer. I love that. She shares her story across several platforms. She wrote When Cancer Knocks at Your Door. She also co-hosts the podcast Cancer Unmasked 360. And Desi is here. Congratulations. Thank you. Yes. Thank you for coming. You also have an event coming up later this month as well. Yes. You're still out here inspiring. Trying to. Trying to. Yes. You're taking it one day at a time. You are. Yes. Thank you. I always jump and leap for joy inside when I see someone ring that bell. My cousin did it this time last year breast cancer as well tell us about your journey not once not twice but three times yes the first two diagnosis was breast cancer the third was breast cancer to the skull bone and a lesion behind my left eye which is metastatic breast cancer and the journeys have been a lot of victories, but a lot of challenges as well. I am still on my journey. I actually received two diagnoses within a 12 month period. Oh my. Yes. So what do you do with that? I mean, where do you go to get the strength to fight all over again? Well, sometimes you don't have the strength to fight. And there were moments in my life where it was the prayers of someone else that helped to uplift me because I found myself in a very dark place being diagnosed three times. When you were first diagnosed, had it been in your family? How did that come about? No history that I knew of in my family. It came about really when I really stopped taking care of myself from an early detection perspective. I was caring for my father for two years who was ill. And during those two years, I stopped caring for myself. And of course, what happened then, when he passed away, I went and had a mammogram and I was diagnosed with my first one. And that was 2017 at age 59. So the last decade has been one thing after another, major thing after another. absolutely it's been a battle but all you do is you keep putting one foot in front of each other and you take it one day at a time along with everything you're doing medically you have this podcast you have the book yes tell me about which is your gift thank you uh your platform essentially how it has helped others but then yourself well for me it was it's not something I saw myself doing after retirement I was asked to be a co-author by the visionary author LaDonna Stanley Thompson and that's how I started telling my story had no idea where this journey was going to take me after retirement I didn't see myself but being on a beach with my husband but later learned that God had called me to a greater mission to start Cancer Unmasked 360. And I did launch it in June of this year. And it's been great. We've had some phenomenal guests on. We've had Howard University, Dr. Carla Williams, who is the director of the Cancer Society. And she is a professor of medical and public health. you know we've had the American Cancer Society on we cover it from every aspect you know i look at the subtitle of this book okay cancer knocks at your door fight pray slay yes i love it especially the slay all day you didn't say all day i added that part uh what is it about your faith would you say has helped you to slay as you move through well like i mentioned previously there was times in my faith i couldn't fight pray or slay i felt defeated because a third diagnosis i was like what am i doing wrong god is what's going on three times i just thought that was a lot and then twice within 12 months i just felt like it was too much for me to handle but i rose again and i lived to fight another day and it was the prayers of others that brought me out so I'm on the battlefield just walking it out taking one day at a time one that's all we can do right I know a lot of people whether they've dealt with breast cancer directly or know someone who has or is currently going through they're watching this show today looking for motivation inspiration light at the end of the tunnel. What's your message to that individual? My message is clear. When you get that diagnosis, settle down. When you hear that word cancer, it's always associated in your mind mostly with death. So the first thing you have to do is settle your mind and your emotions as best you can. Know that you're not alone. There are many avenues that are out there for you that will help you walk through this and take it one day at a time because it can be very overwhelming you can feel very rushed to make decisions but you have to kind of settle in else you'll find yourself on a spiraling yes you will yeah you will you need each other and i think too you sharing the part about being a caregiver and in the midst of all of that you started missing your annual mammograms and and then this happened. Early detection is key. And no matter what you're going through in life, even if you have to be the support for someone else, take care of yourself. You're no good to no one if you're sick. So you have to take care of you even though you're taking care of someone else. And that was my lesson learned. Well, Desi, thank you for sharing your life lessons with us. I cannot wait to really delve into this book. I know there's a chapter about the unexpected gift. Yes. You mentioned a lot of people hear the word cancer and they think the end, it could also be the beginning of something stronger and more beautiful. Here I am, the witness to that. Here I am. Here you stand. The host of Cancer Unmasked 360. Desi, thank you so much. Thank you so much, Sharon. Thank you. Well, you can join the fight against breast cancer thanks to today's Meals Made Easy guest. Let's begin.