When Cancer Comes Back After 30 Years: Karen Moore

The Woman Next Door Survivor is a series of stories about incredible women in the community who have overcome a mountain of obstacles with a relentless and fearless attitude. In 1992, Karen Moore was 29 years old and had just married her husband Richard when she discovered a lump in her breast. A biopsy revealed it to be benign. She had the surgery and felt that everything was fine. A few months later, she found another lump, and this time it was positive for cancer. She had another surgery and soon began radiation and chemotherapy.

During the treatment, she and Richard went on vacation. When Karen returned from vacation, she thought she might have contracted a stomach bug because she felt sick. She went to the doctor for an examination and found out that she was pregnant.

In 1994, Karen gave birth to a healthy baby girl and was well soon after. As recommended, Karen returned for regular mammograms and check-ups and has been cancer free for the past 30 years.

Earlier this year, Karen’s doctor found a lump growing in her breast. A biopsy showed it was cancer. This time, Karen decided to take a more aggressive approach for peace of mind. “Looking for something, doing a biopsy, doing surgery, going through treatment and waiting between each step is a lot of hassle. I just feel a lot better doing it this way.”

Karen knows there’s no guarantee the cancer won’t return, but given that she’s battled cancer before and won, she’s determined to fight her latest diagnosis aggressively. She says that when she compares how she feels now to how she felt 30 years ago, she feels even stronger and more confident that she wants to live life instead of sitting back and letting it pass her by.

One of the first things Karen wants to do when she recovers is travel. She hopes to visit the African continent and go to Morocco with her husband Richard and her family.

“I believe that God is using me to be a testimony of his power. I think I’m ready for the next part of my journey.”

AdventHealth for Women

This month in partnership with AdventHealth for Women, we celebrate some of the women in our community who have had, had a recurrence of, or are currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. For us, all these women are survivors on their own. These women hope that by telling their stories, they will inspire and educate other women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.