10/15/2025
🩷HONORING LIVES🩷
As we approach the Breast Cancer Awareness 5K, we are honored to share the powerful testimony of a breast cancer survivor from our very own community. Her journey is one of courage, faith, and unshakable determination—a reminder that behind every diagnosis is a warrior with a story worth hearing.
But she is not alone.
There are many more survivors and fighters in our community who continue to inspire us daily with their strength. Their battles are not just personal—they are shared by families, friends, and neighbors who walk beside them with love and support.
To all the survivors and those still fighting breast cancer: We see you. We stand with you.
🩷SURVIVOR'S TESTIMONY🩷- Kara Jenkins
“Before I begin, I want to recognize that many stories do not end up with as positive of an outcome as you will read in mine. As a cancer survivor, I also know there is always a chance of recurrence and that my “story” could very quickly and easily have more chapters. This is why we must continue to hope, encourage, and pray for everyone impacted by all cancers and continue to support research for this disease and so many others.
Several have heard my story or lived it with me. For those of you who haven’t heard, I will begin by giving a quick summary.
I found a lump in my armpit in late October 2014. I waited a few weeks, and when it didn’t go away, I went to Dr. Perry. She followed protocol and gave me a few rounds of antibiotics. When that didn’t work, she referred me to a general surgeon. I was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer on December 1, 2014 at 30 years old. The lump I had felt was because it had already spread to my lymph nodes. I actually never felt the lump in my breast. It was tucked way back in there, hiding. My PET Scan showed cancer in my spine and ribs. In the most caring way possible, my oncologist explained that Stage IV meant I would not ever be able to say I was “Cancer Free” and my best hope was for remission. They would not be able to do surgery since it had already metastasized to my bones. My first chemo was December 15, 2014. I had 8 treatments, going every other week. My last chemo treatment was on March 23, 2015. With the support and encouragement from my local oncologist at Madisonville, I flew to Houston to get a second opinion from MD Anderson on April 15, 2015. After a few days of back to back appointments, tests, and scans, my MDA oncologist called that Saturday to inform me that my original scans had been misread and that what had been seen on the scan was “brown fat” and not cancer. “This is a game changer,” she said. This meant I could have surgery! I had surgery on April 29, then on May 8, I got to hear the words, “You can tell people you are CANCER FREE!” I then flew home from Houston to complete 34 rounds of radiation that summer.
If you’ve ever heard me tell my story, you’ve heard me reference the song “Where Were You” by Francesca Battistelli. It is about God carrying you through when you can’t seem to find Him anywhere. Anytime we face any kind of trial or trauma, whether it be cancer, death, injury or sickness of ourselves or a loved one, divorce, broken friendships, it is easy to wonder where God is. It is easy to be upset, angry, and bitter, and I personally think God understands this. But if we look really hard and intentionally, we can see and feel Him carrying us through.
When I think of my time being sick, it is so evident that He carried me. Through my friends and my family, my doctors, my church, He carried me right through. In BIG ways and little ways, He carried me. By giving me my people to be brave through my treatments, to pray, call, text, e-mail scripture, dye their hair pink, mow my yard, fix me meals, listen to me be scared and sad and angry, wait in the waiting rooms while I got scans and/or treatments, organize fundraisers, run in a ½ marathon in my honor, wear tshirts to show support, set up an account to help with the financial burden. The list goes on and on. Through so many ways, and so many people, even people I don’t know, He carried me.
Sometimes I'm hesitant to share my story. However, I try to remember that my story is not just for me. Every year, it seems like more and more young people are diagnosed with breast cancer. It is my prayer that sharing my story will give someone hope as well as remind you of a few things.
1. Do your self checks and follow your instinct when you feel like something is off or wrong. Myself and so many others were diagnosed well before the age of 40 (the recommended age to start having mammograms).
2. Love your people. REALLY love them. Check on them. Listen to them. Forgive them. Think to yourself, ”If STUFF hit the fan tomorrow, would this TRULY matter...or if something were to take them from this earth, have we really enjoyed each other and loved each other well?”
3. When life is hard, try to search deeply and intentionally to find the ways God is carrying you. When I was sick, oftentimes all I could focus on was how being sick had taken so many things from me. But now, 10 years later, as I write this, sitting at home with my husband and little boy, it is clear to me that He had a plan all along. For all the things I felt like my diagnosis took from me, little by little, He has shown me that His plan had better and sweeter things in store for me than I ever could have imagined.”
