MedWatch -Lawton woman urges citizens to support those with cancer from Medwatch 7 KSWO on Vimeo.
LAWTON, OK (KSWO) -Since 2013, a Lawton woman has spent a lot of time in the hospital and at the Cancer Center battling colon cancer, and while her battle continues, she says this year she’s decided to join others fighting a similar battle by walking in the Spirit of Survival. Over the past 10 years, the Spirit of Survival has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars – all money that will go directly to cancer research.
“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” Cheryl Bukky, who is currently battling cancer said. “So, I’m going to encourage my friends and my family to come out and you know, I just think it’s really important for people to support it.”
Bukky said her life was forever changed when she learned that she had cancer. She and her husband decided to get screened for colon cancer. She said her husband was given the all clear and had no doubt she was healthy too.
“I looked over at my sister when the doctor came in with those pictures and the look on her face I thought ‘what is this’? You know, what is going on? I mean you can’t believe it,” Bukky said. “I couldn’t believe it because like I said, I had been healthy.”
Bukky said the news was absolutely devastating.
“And then you have to tell your family,” Bukky said. “I had to tell my daughter and I couldn’t do it, my sister had to do it. It was hard on my whole family.”
From there, Bukky underwent a battery of tests, followed by a 9 hour surgery. Once she had recovered, it was time to start chemo.
“You’ve got to go through a lot of gruesome to get cured and I was willing to do that because I didn’t want to die,” Bukky said. “I want to see my daughter have babies and I wanted to see her graduate and get married.”
And because she’s continues to fight Bukky says she’s seen her daughter accomplished two of those goals, her daughter graduated and was married.
She said while she’s grateful for all the doctors and nurses who have helped her so far, and for the people she’s never met, but continue to help search for a cure.
“I think it would be almost impossible to do it without people donating whether they’re running or not, whether they’re walking they can still donate. This is a community activity that the whole community can involve themselves in because cancer affects a lot of people.”
Bukky will be participating in the Spirit Walk. The Leah M. Fitch Spirit Walk is at 3:00 p.m.on October 2. The walk is a mile long to for cancer survivors, people who are going through treatment, family who wants to support someone who has cancer or who has lost the battle. It’s also for everyone who wants to give to the cause and be a super hero against cancer.
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