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Company UpdatesUncategorized

Gutter Helmet® Goes Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By October 2, 2014October 17th, 2023No Comments

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Gutter Helmet® would like to salute those who are fighting this devastating disease, those who have fought and won, and the co-survivors whose support has given others the strength to fight. Here are three survivors’ stories of courage and determination.

Debbie Woodbury, Survivor

cancer1After being diagnosed with Stage 0 DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2009, Debbie felt lost and damaged despite not having to undergo chemotherapy. The scars and shock of the cancer experience shattered her confidence and sense of well-being, leaving her angry and depressed. She describes the cancer support services that followed her mastectomy as “my salvation.” With the support of a therapist, support groups and a rehabilitative exercise class, Debbie started to feel less alone.

One day she attended a cancer support group, where she was able to help another survivor who was self-conscious about going without a wig in public. “Supporting someone else was the beginning of the end of my cancer depression,” Debbie says. “For the first time since cancer came into my life, my experience was useful because I used it to give back in service to a fellow survivor.”

Maura Bivens, Survivor

cancer2Maura Bivens, a trained Tae Kwon Do fighter, never expected to take on breast cancer – twice. The second diagnosis a year after her initial treatment found the cancer had metastasized into her lungs. She was told she had 12 to 18 months to live.

After months of brutal chemotherapy, another tumor appeared in Maura’s lungs. This time her doctor recommended doing something called the CyberKnife®, a beam that could specifically radiate the tumor in her lungs. Following two treatments, she has been cancer-free for three years.

Maura says her martial arts training helped her summon the strength to overcome the disease. “The instructors would always tell me, ‘You’re a Black Belt. There’s going to be pain, and you can handle it.’ So I started to believe it. And that mentality translates to other things in life, too.”

Kali Wong, Survivor

Kali Wong was only 20 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, with only a few more months before graduating college and plans to attend pharmacy school later in the fall. After experiencing every possible emotion from anger to grief to guilt, Kali determined to finish school before beginning cancer treatment.

Since graduation, Kali has had a lumpectomy, six lymph nodes removed, a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and breast reconstruction. She credits the support of family and friends for keeping her going, and believes this experience as a whole has made her stronger and more knowledgeable.

“I was also accepted into pharmacy school,” Kali says. “I could not help but jump for joy when I received my acceptance letter in the mail!”

Gutter Helmet supports the American Cancer Society in its efforts to end breast cancer forever. For more information about Gutter Helmet gutter topper, call 800-824-3772.