Maranda LaRussa knew that lumps in one’s breast could be a sign of cancer. But never had she heard about itchy breasts possibly being a sign.
So, when her breasts started to itch in the summer of 2018, she thought it was odd. Then in October 2018, she experienced pain when she touched a lump in her breast. Immediately, she contacted her doctor.
She went in for an ultrasound. Test results showed it was cancer. A few weeks later, she learned she had Stage 3A breast cancer. She felt like if she had known about itchy breasts, she could have gotten her breasts checked earlier.
“But I ‘m glad that I noticed my symptoms, I was vigilant, and I moved as soon as I could,” she said.
Maranda LaRussa (Photo by Taneisha Tucker Photography)
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 Carter (Photo by Taneisha Tucker Photography)
Breast cancer pushed Denetra Johnson to do two things: enroll in community college and go to church more.
It all started on Oct. 29, 2011 after her doctor called and said she had triple breast cancer. What followed next was all Denetra had to hear: “I think we got it in time.”
Denetra cried at first. Then, she told her family and started working on a plan.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m fixing to do some thangs now,’ ” Denetra recalled. “It’s time for me to grow up, … get stronger, be a thriver and a survivor.’ ”
Every day, Alease Sims walks past a pink wreath that once belonged to her daughter, Stacey Sims Turner.
A sign on it reads: “I stood strong. I fought hard. I won.”
Stacey was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. As Stacey fought the disease, Alease knew her pain because Alease had fought the same disease in 1989. Alease comforted Stacey through a mastectomy, chemo, radiation and six-month checkups.
Doctors eventually told Stacey she was cancer-free. But in 2021, the cancer had returned and spread to Stacey’s lungs and brain. Again, Alease was by Stacey’s side, telling her, “We are going to fight this.”
Stacey Sims Turner, left, with her mother, Alease Sims at a breast cancer awareness event. (Photo provided by Alease Sims)
Moments before Birmingham native Jasmine “Jazz” McKenzie stepped on stage, capturing the votes and hearts of the judges and audience from NBC’s “The Voice” on Monday, Oct. 13, she remembered six little words.
“What’s for you won’t miss you.”
It’s a saying a fellow “The Voice” contestant shared with other contestants this season, and it’s something Jazz has been saying to herself since starting the process on Season 28. On Monday, Sept. 22, she appeared in “The Blind Auditions” premiere, singing her rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
Jasmine “Jazz” McKenzie’s Sept. 22 appearance on “The Voice.” (Photo Source: NBC)
That evening, Jazz received a “four-chair turn,” earning the attention and interest of all four celebrity coaches. While each coach wanted her, she selected singer/coach Michael Buble.
Then, on Monday, Oct. 13, Jazz appeared again for her next competition in what’s known as “The Battles.” She faced off with team mate, Trinity, as they did a duet to Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity.”
When Monique Martin’s father died in May 2024, she was engulfed in grief. And as a result, the lymph nodes under her arms and in her neck, began to swell.
She thought stress had brought on the brief swelling. So, she ignored it.
Then, in August 2024, the swelling returned and it gradually got worse. In October 2024, she felt a lump in her left breast. Officials scheduled her for a mammogram in November 2024.
“I got the mammogram, went on the patient portal and read the results before they even called me,” she said. It said, “Indicative of breast cancer.” She wasn’t totally surprised because her mother is a breast cancer survivor. But she was scared.
“I was kind of kicking myself because I was like, ‘Maybe if I had gotten on this when I first noticed my lymph nodes were swollen, the prognosis would have been a little bit better,’ ” she said.
Twenty-four hours before her first date with a man who would one day become her fiancé, Madeline Patterson’s phone rang.
It wasn’t him.
Instead, her UAB doctor was calling to tell her that her biopsy confirmed she had breast cancer and she needed to come in the next day. She had to call her date and cancel.
“I said, ‘Hey, this is crazy. I got some really bad news today. This is what is going on,’ ” she recalled. “He was really supportive.”
It was Nov.16, 2022.
Breast cancer survivor Madeline Patterson (Photo provided by Madeline Patterson)
On Tuesday, the City of Birmingham presented her with a proclamation for the work she’s been doing in the community to help breast cancer survivors. Then, Mayor Randall Woodfin personally congratulated her.
On Thursday, 10 years after being declared cancer-free, she finally got the chance to ring the bell like other cancer survivors.
And this morning, she led her annual breast cancer walk, the Eva B. Johnson Warrior Walk, in East Lake Park to help raise money for breast cancer research and to support area organizations that help women facing breast cancer. With 75 attendees, including some she didn’t even know, the walk had the biggest crowd she’s ever had in the five years she’s been hosting it.
It’s a Thursday evening, and Janice Wilson is going over lines for a play.
She’s read scripts for smaller projects and even enrolled in acting classes in the past. But this right here is different.
“This is bigger because people are paying to come to this one. And I got a contract,’’ she said of her role in “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” which was presented at the Homewood Theatre in late September.
“The reason I’m challenging myself with this play is because my mother died of Alzheimer’s, and I’m trying to do things to keep my mind sharp.”
At 82, this retired principal from Birmingham’s Bush Middle School does a lot to stay active. She acts with the Red Mountain Seasoned Performers, volunteers with middle school students through the City of Birmingham’s Common Ground program, visits nursing homes, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and has even played aqua volleyball. (She only stopped the aqua volleyball in 2024 because she was busy doing something else.)
But one of her more victorious roles has been being a breast cancer survivor.
