Yvonne Cooper-Watson

Yvonne Cooper-Watson Image

I am 51 years old and have been married to Leroy for 31 year. We have two children, Lavone and Jayme. I am a physical education teacher in Meriden. I am proud to be a breast cancer survivor, three and ½ years now. I underwent a lumpectomy and they removed seven of 23 positive lymph nodes. I have had both radiation and chemo-therapy. I discovered a lump while doing my monthly self-exam. I was not really concerned about the discovery because I had had three previous breast biopsies and was diagnosed with a fibrocystic disease. When I went to see the surgeon, he did not seem too concerned, but suggested a biopsy. This time the lump was diagnosed as an estrogen positive cancerous lump. My treatment lasted for ten months. With the love and support of my husband, children, family, and friends, I continued to work throughout the treatment.

I was not concerned about the diagnosis or my treatment because I knew God had other plans for me. I became involved with a program called the “Witness Project is a health program for African American women in churches and community centers. It features a group of African American women who each “witness” about their triumph over breast or cervical cancer.

Together, they preach the good news that cancer does not have to be an automatic death sentence. The key is to catch it early and get treated. The motto of the Witness Project is “In Church People Witness to save Souls. At the Witness Project, They Witness to Save Lives.”

My friends constantly ask me if I am cured. I respond by saying “I have put this disease in God’s hands. I will do my part by continuing to check myself and visit my doctors, and I have faith in the Lord, my God, and trust in Jesus Christ, my Savior. I am going to be okay because Jesus loves me!”

“I have put this disease in God’s hands.”