By Chanda Temple
Breast cancer wasn’t part of Jill Carter’s plans. But plans change.
She was a married mom of three boys – one in kindergarten, one in fourth grade and one in 10th grade – when she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Triple Negative breast cancer on Oct. 3, 2008. From working part time to handling home life, she stayed on the go
“I remember thinking I don’t have time for this. But I did, and that began the fight of my life,” she said.
Jill started exploring treatments and met with a team of doctors in Birmingham at the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she had a surgical oncologist, a radiation oncologist and a medical oncologist. They collaborated and gave her options.
On Oct. 22, 2008, she had a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. Six weeks after surgery, she had 16 chemo treatments with different types of drugs. Then, she had about 30 radiation treatments.
Over the next 3.5 years, the cancer came back three more times in her lymph nodes. And every time, she had more testing, more chemo, more radiation and more surgeries.
She was devastated when the cancer returned, but she never lost hope.
“You have to fight, and you have to fight for yourself and your people,” said JIll, now 57. “I will say that I had a great team of doctors who kept figuring out and exploring ways to help me get past this. I cannot say enough good things about that team of doctors.”
When she had the double mastectomy, nothing on the hospital menu tasted good or sounded good. But a friend brought her the loaded potato soup from Newk’s. She couldn’t believe the taste. It was so good, that it’s a soup she started taking to people who’ve had surgery.
Kind gestures like that, in addition to support from her family and community, her faith, meal trains, caretaking efforts and prayers, really helped sustain Jill in her fight against breast cancer. Her neighbors even put pink balloons near each mailbox on the street the morning Jill left for her double mastectomy. It was like their way of saying, “We are here for you.”
“All those things mean the world to somebody who is struggling,” Jill said. “They made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”
Even reading the collection of greeting cards she’d stored in a tub at hoe, helped smooth out the rough edges on tough days.
“I think it’s important to be as optimistic as you can,” Jill said. “There will be days where you will be down in the dumps, but you can’t get stuck there.”
Jill, who has been cancer-free for 13 years, continues her fight for herself and others by serving on the board for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, which helps to raise money for breast cancer research.
“By investing my time on the board …, and having served as a patient advocate for some research projects, I know that advances will be made, and the hope will continue,” she said.
And even though life changed Jill’s plans, her hope never changed.
Those little boys she once worried about after getting her breast cancer diagnosis, are now 32, 26 and 23 years old. She also has two grandsons.
“I’m thankful to still be here and watch them grow into the young men that they’ve become,” she said. “I continue to live life, and I’m thankful for every day.”
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 their 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.
FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterestShare