Betty Wingo

“Regardless of the form, when you hear the words, ‘You’ve got cancer,’ your entire world changes in an instant. At first you only hope and pray that it is all a false alarm, then they start talking about surgical options, other treatments, and life expectancy, that’s when you say to yourself, ‘Whoa, this is real’.” These words reign true for almost every cancer patient in the world, but it is Betty Wingo’s faith in God and her incredible zest for life that kept her going through her entire cancer process and it’s that same zest for life that continues to help her get her story out and be an inspiration to others. When she was diagnosed, she began her treatments with a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. Fear of loosing her breasts were not an option for Betty, “So you have ‘the big C’..You cannot change that. So you might loose your ‘tatas’..Big deal. You are still you!” After her first procedure, she began chemotherapy treatments and in all cases women loose their hair. As Betty recalled being bald she stated, “Being a bald female was an interesting experience. We see baldness in men all the time but a women’s crowning glory is her hair, right? WRONG! The truth is, you look in the mirror and you say to yourself, ‘I have cancer and while the treatments are making me hairless, they are saving my life. It’s just hair, I am still me. Sure I bought an expensive wig made entirely of human hair but, guess what..I never wore it!” Her friends threw her a hat and scarf party and she revealed her baldness publicly, took picture’s, and had a blast! Betty’s attitude about her hair loss was amazing and as a result everyone made comments “that she had to be the cutest, classiest, sick person they had ever seen”. One of the things that stood out most while talking to her was when she said, “Breasts and hair do not make us women. WE are women with or without them. Your breasts and/or your hair do not define who we are or should be.” I truly believe having that attitude maintained her "womanly" image and allowed her to stand out in a positive way throughout her community. Since her cancer, she has inspired and educated others about her disease and how to cope with it. She has participated in walks, runs, Relay for Life, and motorcycle charity rides for breast cancer. Bosom Buddies and Reach to Recovery are two programs by the American Cancer Society that she also participates in. She also made a calendar to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness called, “Faces of Courage”, where women in the community were selected to be photographed in black and white to put a real face on the disease. Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the most devastating things a person has to experience but, through faith, love, support from others, and her incredible zest for life, Betty Wingo has won the fight of breast cancer.