Gerri Willis, a financial reporter for Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel, is already a survivor, having defeated stage III breast cancer several years ago.
But Willis has “been keeping a secret” — which she revealed this week. “I thought my cancer journey was over,” she wrote. “But last month, a simple pap smear turned up the unexpected.”
A near-miss with another bout of cancer
In an op-ed for Fox News, Willis wrote of the mentally distressing emotional rollercoaster she embarked upon after the discovery of the cancerous growths in August.
“I had a pre-cancerous lesion on my cervix. I wasn’t prepared for that. All the old emotions that I experienced in my breast cancer journey came flooding back. The anxiety. Worry,” she wrote of the new diagnosis. “And I wondered, as all of us diagnosed with cancer do, is this the time that this horrible disease that took the lives of about 610,000 people in the U.S. last year finally takes me?”
Thankfully, a successful biopsy procedure removed the pre-cancerous cells and Willis has been deemed cancer-free once again. But now she says she is even more committed than ever to helping find a cure for cancer.
Finding the things in life that “truly matter” in the midst of cancer
Of her previous cancer fight, she wrote: “I was diagnosed with Stage 3 lobular breast cancer, and the entire experience was revelatory. You can’t go through treatment for a life-threatening disease without learning humility, patience and discovering a sense of hope that maybe you never knew you had.”
Willis leaned on her husband and family for support during that trying time in her life, and despite the definite downsides of cancer treatment, nevertheless strived to keep a positive outlook on life.
“Maybe you’re thinking, that Gerri sure is a Pollyanna,” she wrote. “Well, perhaps so. But I find the biggest gifts come in the most unexpected packages. Cancer turned my life around.”
“As I meet more and more survivors, they, too, often tell a similar story. They sometimes say their diagnosis was preceded by a period of difficulty, divorce, drinking, disconnection from family. I’m not saying these things are a cause, but it is true that fighting such a difficult foe refocuses your attention on things that truly matter,” Willis added.
Race for the Cure
Willis says that a big part of her commitment to focus on what really matters is participating in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in New York City, which she and dozens of others from the Fox family are planning to take part in this weekend.
Though the primary focus of the Race for the Cure is breast cancer — arguably the most survivable form of cancer — some of the funds raised help bolster research that may be applicable to some or all other forms of the deadly disease.
For the most part, however, Willis wrote, “KomenNYC pays for mammograms, clinical exams, transportation for doctor appointments, and legal advice for women trying to navigate insurance. These are things that can truly help. Helping fund those things — that’s my mission. It’s a fight worth making. I hope you’ll join me.”
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