Delilah Crooms

I live in Meriden, CT with my three children. I am 53 years old. I work at CUNO. I am an active member of Mount Hebron Baptist Church in Meriden. I performed breast self-examination in December 1997. I found out that I had breast cancer in January 1998. After talking to two doctors at the hospital, I agreed that I needed to have radiation, so I went every day after work for six weeks. After treatment, I went to “I Can Cope” sessions. These are for six weeks and especially for survivors. I am in a study on cancer at Yale University School of Medicine. During my treatment, my granddaughter was born. She came early, at seven months. She was born at UCONN Hospital in Farmington and only weighed two and ½ pounds. She gave me the strength to go on with my life as she fought to survive. I have three children, two daughters and one son. I keep myself busy at all times, trying not to think about my cancer. But, I thank God every day for being alive. I go to church as much as I can. The songs that have kept me going are “God Can” and “Yes God is Real” I know that being alive, in the eyes of Jesus, is a blessing. I encourage my sisters and friends to go get a mammogram. I have been a breast cancer survivor for two years. I get to meet other cancer survivors. Every year in May, I walk in the “Relay for Life”. That activity raises money for cancer research. I devote time as a member of the Witness Project in Meriden. Being a part of the Witness program has helped me out a lot. Early detection is the key to survival. All women are at risk. I am a survivor because I found out early. I go through each day with the support of friends and family members and with God’s Love.

“Early detection is the key to survival”