Priscilla Bright clearly remembers the day she got her breast cancer diagnosis. It was her birthday 2014.
“For years, I cared for my parents. I put them first. When I got this diagnosis, I thought, ‘Now, Priscilla, it’s time to care for you.’ Then I decided not to claim it. I gave it to God. From that day on, I didn’t dwell on it. I thank God for putting all the right people in my life.”
Many of those people were at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital where Priscilla had worked in the gift shop for 12 years. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I know people there, and I know we get the best doctors at LBJ.”
From 2014 to 2016, her medical team treated the stage II cancer in her left breast and lymph nodes. She had chemotherapy at LBJ Hospital, 12 weeks of radiation at Smith Clinic, and then a mastectomy of her left breast at the hospital.
“I never wanted special treatment because I was an employee,” she says. “I got to know many people I didn’t already know. I give everyone an A-plus. They took time to answer questions. They were there for me.”
Now Priscilla is back at work in the shop and cancer free. “I was really happy when I was promoted to the Survivor Clinic.”
Cancer spurred her to make some life changes. She attended a nutrition class at Settegast Health Center (where she sees her primary care physician) and has added more fruits, vegetables, yogurt and fish to her diet. She also eats smaller portions. She walks three miles several times a week. Most important, she learned to put herself and her health first.
“I tell my daughters and other women to have regular check-ups, to eat better, to put more effort into exercise. If you get cancer, you can beat it. There is a cure. Have the right attitude. Do what the doctors ask. Think positive. ”
Priscilla lives with her daughter and two grandchildren. She has four children, 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. “They keep me alive. I want to be here for them.
“I’m so happy to be alive and to share my story. I plan to be here until I’m 100.”