WACO, Texas – Betty Bickett is a fighter – fighting off cancer twice! Now she is taking all the precautions she can to keep COVID-19 away.
Betty completed her radiation and chemo treatment recently, and got to ring the cancer bell.
“I didn’t know what that meant, but I guess that is a traditional thing that you do when you complete radiation treatment. I don’t know what it was, but I rang the bell and it’s like…..it was almost like an emotional feeling that I did it. I did it. I did it. Because there were times when I wasn’t sure that I would get through all this,” Betty says.
This isn’t her first time battling cancer – but it is her first time battling cancer in the midst of a pandemic.
“Conditions were very different then, of course, because there was no pandemic. And there was more freedom. And this time, it’s a whole different ball game,” says Bickett.
Oncologist Dr. Tyler Snedden says there are ways we can all keep loved ones battling cancer safe.
“Consider wearing a mask around loved ones or friends that have suppressed immune systems or weakened immune systems, or where they might be at a higher risk of complications of COVID-19,” Tyler says.
If you plan to visit a cancer loved one this holiday season, Dr. Snedden recommends some safe alternatives.
“If you’re going to gather with family and friends do that outdoors, I know that it’s harder this time around the year with the colder weather, but we live in Texas – so it’s more tolerable. And hopefully more people can gather outdoors more frequently this year,” says Dr. Snedden.
To Betty, having someone to lean on can be a lifesaver when you’re taking on cancer.
“With a good support system and family and friends, throughout their prayers and text messages and cards and so forth. I’ve made it through all the treatment. That I’m very happy about,” says Bickett.