By Chanda Temple
I still remember the day I met Lorretta Herring.
It was the first Friday in October 2024, and the City of Birmingham’s Pink Parade in support of breast cancer survivors had just wrapped. Temperatures hovered around the high 70s in Linn Park, and Ms. Loretta sat at a table, sharing breast cancer awareness info through her organization, the Cancer Awareness Network.
Her smile was infectious, and so was her joy.
I thanked her for being one of many organizations present in the park that day. And as we continued to talk, I immediately understood why God told me to take the conversation deeper. Ms. Loretta told me that just five weeks earlier, she had undergone a double mastectomy. Her chest was still wrapped in bandages that covered stitches from her surgery.
My mouth fell open as she continued.
It was the second time Ms. Loretta had faced the disease. The first time was in 2010 when she was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy.
But 14 years later, cancer returned to that same breast. It was still Stage 0, but there was just more of it. Doctors gave her three options: have a lumpectomy, have a mastectomy. or have a double mastectomy. She opted for the double mastectomy.
“I’m 74. My husband died in 2011. I’m not about to have babies,” she said. “So, I said, ‘Take the titties. I don’t need them.’ ”
So, why in 2024 did she decide to come out by herself to Linn Park, haul supplies and set up a table when she was in the midst of her own personal breast cancer battle?
“Because the purpose of this was so significant,” she said of the city’s Food Truck FridayTurns Pink and the Pink Parade in support of breast cancer survivors. “One thing I’ve learned on this journey while working with cancer patients is there is resilience. I come and do these projects because I see the need.”
“All cancer patients need help. They need to know that it’s not a death sentence,” she said. “And they need to know that they are not walking this journey alone.”
Through the Cancer Awareness Network, which she founded with her sisters, she raises money for college scholarships for children or grandchildren with parents impacted by cancer; she arranges for the cleaning of homes of cancer patients while they are going through treatment, and more. On Saturday, Oct. 11, her organization will host its 10th Annual Colors of Cancer 5K Fun Run and Walk at Spring Street Park in Adamsville. (For more information, contact Linda Pryor at 205-789-6280.)
Once a quarter, Ms. Loretta will visit the Fish Market in downtown Birmingham and treat herself to the whole fried catfish. She prefers the John’s Slaw with the tangy dressing on the side.
“I like (the catfish) because it gives me that feeling of home cooking, and it reminds me of my youth when I grew up eating fresh water fish,” she said.
Since her double mastectomy, she’s returned to the hospital. But it was for a knee replacement on her right side. She said she’s doing fine.
“It has healed so wonderfully, that they think I’m a poster child for knee replacement,” she said.
And that’s the thing about Ms. Loretta. Even after battling breast cancer twice and knee replacement surgery, she still shows up for others and herself, with commitment, courage and the casual catfish.
***NOTE: In America, one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will be profiling one female breast cancer survivor each day in October 2025. The stories will also highlight a food from a Birmingham, AL restaurant or food vendor they liked at some point during their breast cancer journey or today. The series is called “SurviveHer at the Table: Food. Faith. Fight.”
Each story posted this month is the opinion of the survivor, with a goal to increase awareness about early detection and treatment for breast cancer. Readers should consult with their physician for medical and health advice and a nutritionist for healthy eating tips. Links to area resources will be shared in future posts this month.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
Copyright © 2025, All rights reserved.
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