Cathy Williamson is a 63-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother.
She’s also the owner of the popular Middle Page blog that sells fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products. Oh, and she survived one of the worst breast cancer diagnoses out there.
Eleven years later, she’s living a beautiful life, filled with the things she holds dear (and which she thought she’d lose).
Triple negative does not mean your results came back negative. It means you have an aggressive form of breast cancer and need immediate treatment. Treatment that’s more aggressive than the cancer.
When Cathy Williams was 52, she was living the life—she’d just started her fashion and lifestyle blog The Middle Page. Two months later, she got the diagnosis. Two weeks later, she went into treatment.
“I found out on June 14th, 2013, and on July 1st, I was in the hospital having an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor and [have] a double mastectomy. From there, I started chemo and, later, radiation.”
When you’re just starting a new project that’s giving you lots of joy, the last thing you expect is to spend time in a hospital recovering from cancer.
Cathy and her friend @soheatherblog looking badass when looking at themselves in a mirror.
Cathy is an extremely beautiful woman, yet that’s not what she sees when looking in the mirror.
“I don't worry so much about what I look like anymore. I look in the mirror and see a badass warrior. Not to say I don't try, but I'm not as obsessed with the wrinkles. I earned all of them!”
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Perhaps we should all learn to see what Cathy does.
Whether we’ve faced cancer or not, we’ve all battled our fights…and won! We’re still here, even if everything isn’t perfect. We still have this moment to enjoy and appreciate.
That, in and of itself, is delicious!
When we survive an ordeal we also tend to see our body differently; we come to value different body parts. Not because they look great, but because they’re there for us—they’re working.
In Cathy’s case, when we asked her if there was one body part she now values more, she replied, “I would say my arms. I am so grateful that I am strong enough to hold my grandchildren.”
If that ain’t heart-warming, we don’t know what is!
While Cathy had an aggressive cancer, she was incredibly lucky to how she responded to chemo. When talking about her post-chemo beauty routine, she said,
“Post-chemo was the same as usual. I didn't change much, because it was still me and I still had the same face. I was lucky that I didn't lose my eyelashes and eyebrows until the very end. They were quick in coming back.”
For many women this isn’t the case. And that’s why we’re so passionate about providing growth serums for both lashes and brows, and creating lash and brow products— like our tubing PrimeLash Mascara and PrimeBrow Complete—that don’t just tint, but nurture.
“I think Prime Mascara is amazing. I definitely think it helps my lashes grow, so much that I am on my 4th tube! I love the wand as it separates my lashes perfectly as well!”
Learn more about Cathy’s routine in this quick video: 👇
While not all tumors are dangerous, or will spread (which is why there’s such a debate about whether full body MRIs are helpful or harmful as treating “harmless” cancers is more hurtful than helpful (1) (2)), when it comes to breast cancer, early detection is key. And mammograms can detect tumors you can’t feel. That was the case for Cathy.
“I always kept up with my yearly mammograms and that is how my breast cancer was found. It was undetectable through a self-check by me and my doctor. Please remember to schedule your mammograms, as they are so important!”
To all the Queens in our community—listen. Learn. Go out there and ask questions about cancer from trained medical professionals who are experts in their field.