February Warrior of the Month
Our Warrior for this month of love is Brenda Hodges. Brenda is a Christian, wife, mother, grandmother, and business owner. Brenda has a spirit that can rarely be missed when entering a room. There is always a twinkle in her eye, a smile on her face, a contagious laugh, and a hope to help another. She was first diagnosed with the aggressive form of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) December 17th, 2013.
Brenda has recently had the opportunity to try one of the most promising areas in cancer treatment and research - immunotherapy. Here, the Warrior’s own immune system is enlisted to lead the fight! When asked about her treatment, Brenda answered, “There is literally a war going on inside my body.” This was followed with her usual heartfelt chuckle.
Brenda’s Medical Team recently removed T-cells from her body, genetically modified the receptors to specifically target her cancer cells, and back into her body they went! She and family then began the wait. But, it wasn’t long when the needed symptoms appeared: chills, fever, and white blood counts plummeting! Brenda’s new “RoboWarriors” are doing exactly what she’d hoped! The beauty of this treatment is that these same new and improved T-cells are expected to stay in her bloodstream for potential future cancer outbreaks.
While her journey is not complete, she and her family have held firm in their humor and faith. After her first chemo, her husband Jerry would turn out lights around her and say, “Well, you’re not glowing yet.” And her daughter Hannah shared a meme showing a young lady climbing in a casket and asking her loved one to make room. This may seem dark to those who have not made this journey, but to us who have, the laugh is far from lost.
Brenda is most thankful for God and her faith. When her loved ones couldn’t visit or be with her, she said, “God always was.” Her faith sustained and got her through it all. And her blanket with Grandbaby pictures!
If you’d like to share gifts, cards of encouragement or other memorabilia, please contact Leah at Leah.Gaskins@Cancercreateswarriors.org. We will be sharing all tokens of encouragement with Brenda over video this month. You may view all videos on Cancer Creates Warriors Facebook page.
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