Marie Thompson ’ s journey filled with courage
Back in September 2010 , Marie Thompson was working as a mammographer at Laird Hospital in Union when she discovered what she believed to be a lump in one of her breasts .
Thompson , who regularly performed breast self-exams and had an annual mammogram , could not be certain that what she discovered was a tumor , but knew she needed to be sure .
“ I was always faithful because that ’ s what ( mammographers ) teach and preach is to follow all of the precautions and guidelines so if you find something then hopefully you will find it early when it is treatable and curable ,” she recalled .
She had a mammogram , but nothing conclusive showed up on the exam . Because the lump felt “ different ” to her , Thompson went to see Dr . Sandra Pupa at the Women ’ s Healthcare Center , a division of Ochsner Rush Medical Center in downtown Meridian .
“ I went to Dr . Pupa ’ s office and had an ultrasound after the mammogram didn ’ t really show anything . It showed up with the ultrasound , and she diagnosed it as breast cancer ,” said Thompson , who was 58 years old at the time of her diagnosis .
Her cancer involved only a tumor in one breast and was categorized as Stage 2 .
In addition to chemotherapy , Thompson underwent a mastectomy and chose to have reconstruction surgery afterwards . Altogether , she was in treatment for her breast cancer for about a year never quitting work throughout her medical care .
“ I was lucky that I had co-workers who were wonderful and covered for me with the things that I could not do like lifting and pulling , all of the heavy stuff ,” she said .
In addition , the hospital ’ s mammography department happened to be going through accreditation at the time . Since she was the department ’ s quality control person , Thompson had a lot of paperwork responsibilities and tests to run , which made her job less physically demanding than normal .
“ I was able to do all of that while I had the breast cancer ,” she said .
She credits God and an excellent support system with helping her make it through her journey .
“ I had the best support system – my family , my co-workers , my healthcare providers , my church , my community ,” she said . “ My prayer group at my church was always supportive , sending cards , calling , preparing meals and knitting hats for when I lost my hair .”
She coached a pre-teen Upwards basketball team during her treatment and recovery and the girls often prayed for her and encouraged her .
“ Those little girls prayed for me and would come up to me any time they saw me . They helped get me through my treatment ,” she said .
Besides working , Thompson stayed active during her cancer journey and in the years following . A member of First Baptist Church in Union , she continued to teach her 2- and 3-year-old Sunday school class and help with the third-grade Bible study on Wednesday nights .
She has participated in numerous local mission projects over the years and has gone on three mission trips to Haiti , a mission trip to Stanford , Conn ., to help a new church get started , a trip to Buffalo , N . Y ., to help a church restore an old school building , and to Houston , Texas , to help with hurricane disaster relief .
“ A large part of my life since breast cancer has been in service to others through my church ,” Thompson said .
Now , 12 years since her initial diagnosis , Thompson is considered
I had the best support system – my family , my co-workers , my healthcare providers , my church , my community . My prayer group at my church was always supportive , sending cards , calling , preparing meals and knitting hats for when I lost my hair .
Marie Thompson Breast cancer survivor
cancer-free and is retired from Laird Hospital .
She and her husband , Larry , a retired helicopter pilot for the oil industry , continue to be active .
“ As far as limitations , I have none ,” the 70-year-old said . “ I am very active . I play golf . I do woodworking in my husband ’ s shop . I have flower gardens . I work like a yard boy in my yard .”
While her youngest daughter , Kristen Le , a dental hygienist , lives next door , her other two daughters live hours away .
Daughter Jennifer Whitt , a seventh-grade teacher , and her family live in Athens , Ala ., and daughter Natalie Hoerig , a neonatal intensive care nurse , and her family live in Biloxi .
That means she and her husband are on the road a lot for visits .
“ I have several grandchildren that keep me traveling so I can keep up with them and their lives ,” she laughed . “ We do travel a good bit , every chance we get .” www . meridianstar . com
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