Cancer Survivor - Lorretta Duplantis
If she’s not mowing her own grass or inventing a new recipe in the kitchen, there’s a chance Lorretta Duplantis is at BRG’s radiation oncology center. Not for treatment anymore, but to visit. She says they took her in like family and she felt such a camaraderie there that she stops by to say hi just because.
Lorretta has had to frequent the radiation oncology center twice, unfortunately. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2020, and because of COVID, treatment didn’t start until early 2021. Then this summer, doctors found cancer in her other breast, resulting in another set of radiation therapy visits.
A two-time breast cancer survivor, Lorretta remembers that day in 2020 well. During her routine annual mammogram, doctors discovered something suspicious in its early stages. She says she was actually calm and felt like either way she was going to be OK. She remembers Dr. Everett Bonner telling her that with her personality and outlook, she was going to “breeze” right through her treatment. And he was right.
Lorretta has picked up where she left off after her cancer diagnosis and treatment, but that wasn’t without some growth and life changes along the way. She learned how important good nutrition, rest and exercise are and has taken that to heart still today. She grew spiritually and emotionally, learning how to be at peace. She felt the impact of a strong support system, from friends and family who rallied to the cause, to people she didn’t even know that well reaching out. She says she found that people really want to be a help.
One major part of Lorretta’s support system was having another breast cancer survivor as a mentor. She says having someone you trust and can be encouraged by is key, and in her survivorship, she feels a sense of community among survivors.
Lorretta takes any chance she gets to encourage women to keep up with their mammograms, because she knows that cancer can develop quickly. She’s also an advocate for staying active and doing things that are healthy for your body, soul and spirit.