By Andrea Stevens
AFRO Staff Writer
astevens@afro.com
When breast cancer returns, many see it as a breaking point.
For many women it becomes a testament to faith, family and resilience. For Tirra Pack, Marcia Victor and Linda Hamilton this couldn’t be truer.
Each of the women faced breast cancer more than once, yet they continue to live, to hope and to inspire others with their strength.
For Tirra Pack, the first diagnosis came when she was just 32. She was a young mother and afraid, she began a fight that would span decades. After overcoming the disease twice, she faced it a third time in 2021. She decided on a mastectomy to stop the cancer from returning. Her daughter and mother stayed beside her through surgery and radiation.
“My daughter said, ‘I just want my mom here,’” Pack said. “That made my decision. I was going to get that done to save my life and keep living.”
According to a report in the National Library of Medicine (NLM), “among 36,924 women with breast cancer, 20,315 became 10-year disease-free survivors. Of these, 2,595 developed late BCR (breast cancer recurrence).” The study also found that in the women observed “recurrences continued to occur up to 32 years after primary diagnosis. Women with high lymph node burden, large tumor size, and estrogen receptor–positive tumors had increased risk of late recurrence.”
Twenty-six years later, Pack now celebrates being cancer free. She says she is grateful for every moment. Her long journey of survival highlights the broader impact of breast cancer, a disease that has affected millions of women across the country.
Marcia Victor received her first diagnosis at 55 in 2011. Twelve years later, at 67, it came back faster and stronger. A lumpectomy was no longer possible, so she chose a bilateral mastectomy. Her daughter and granddaughter drove her to every appointment and recorded her doctors’ words so nothing is missed. She had already survived gallbladder cancer and knew the long road ahead. Still, she stayed positive.
“I had a lot of prayers,” she said. “That’s what got me through.”
She declined reconstruction and embraced her body as it was.
“If I don’t feel like wearing my prosthesis, I don’t wear it,” she said. “I’m just glad to be alive.”
At 65, Linda Hamilton received her first breast cancer diagnosis. The first time, she handled it calmly. It was stage zero and noninvasive. But when it returned six years later, the shock hit hard.
“I couldn’t believe it came back, after taking those pills for five years,” she said.
She chose a mastectomy with reconstruction and relied on her faith to carry her through.
“It’s really mental over physical,” Hamilton said. “I’m grateful for the strength I have and it’s not me, it’s my faith.”
Supported by her daughter and a circle of Christian women, she now dedicates her time to encouraging others who are newly diagnosed.
“You can’t change the beginning, but you can start now and change the ending,” she said.
For these women, survival is not just about treatment. It is about prayer, persistence and love that does not falter. Their scars tell stories of courage, and their words remind others that hope remains even in the hardest battles.