The Catalyst Issue 21 | May 2015 | Page 23

Alik, Seth, Bekah, Rebecca and Manuel Alcozer are cheering for the Longhorns, especially Bekah’s softball team. had that idea in my mind, a calmness about me through the whole thing. On his own, my husband talked to several local churches and had them praying for me. I know I was on the prayer lists of relatives’ churches. All those prayers were felt. I think I went through everything pretty smoothly. Not easily, but smoothly. “ Support came from many places. Her first day back at work, Mrs. Alcozer’s coworkers in her department at Belton High School all wore pink. Her son shaved his head the week she started chemotherapy. She also found comfort in talking to other breast cancer survivors. “I learned something from everybody’s story, and the information they shared. Everyone I talked to helped me in some way through the process. Now, I’m happy to talk to anybody, because we all learn something from each other’s story. Those who have gone through this can help others.” Even strangers pitched in. One night, Mrs. Alcozer and her daughter had lunch at a restaurant in Temple, and when they asked for the check, their waitress said the meal had already been paid for. “People I didn’t even know would ask how I was doing,” Mrs. Alcozer says. “Other breast cancer survivors came by and talked to me. The kindness of other people was very comforting.” Mrs. Alcozer had her final chemotherapy treatment on January 3, 2014. She now sees Dr. Yau every six months for ongoing monitoring. At her most recent checkup, everything looked good. And so, thanks to the care of Scott & White Healthcare, now Baylor Scott & White Health and a wealth of support, these days Mrs. Alcozer is focused on the hobbies she enjoys, like sewing and reading, and just being with her family. n Rebecca talks about her journey sw.org | May 15 THE CATALYST 23