by Alaa Ishak
Daily Lobo
It was the beginning of a semester for UNM student Beth Bagwell. She was completing her dissertation. She was almost out of school.
Then she discovered a lump in her breast.
She went to the Student Health Center, and the doctor sent her to UNM Hospital.
"The next thing I know, I was at UNM Hospital having a mammogram for the first time in my life," she said.
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Bagwell, 36, never had one before, because she thought she was too young. Days passed.
"I got a phone call, and they said I had cancer," she said. "Everything stopped."
At that moment, she said, her entire life was put into perspective, and time came to a standstill.
Three weeks later, she had surgery to remove the lump.
Bagwell said she was lucky it was caught at an early stage. She had to go through radiation for six more weeks after surgery.
She said she battled against her body to regain her energy and was put on several medications to alleviate some of the pain.
"It was 50 percent emotional exhaustion and 50 percent physical exhaustion," she said.
During this time, she put everything on hold, including school.
For Bagwell, finding the strength to go on wasn't her concern, she said.
"At first, it's a numbness that automatically tells me what am I supposed to do today, and I just do it," she said.
But amid all the pain, doubt and fear, Bagwell said she found hope and support that laid down a foundation to allow her to endure. She found support in her mother, friends and colleagues, she said.
Bagwell tried to join a support group but found the groups had people in their 50s and older.
She said she didn't identify with them and what they went through.
"The disease is similar, but the sense of loss is different," she said.
She kept searching for a support group with younger people, she said.
"The younger group is important, because everyone in the other groups are married and more established," she said.
Then she found a group called People Living with Cancer, which is focused around educating survivors, family and friends about cancer and treatment options for younger cancer patients, although there are older members.
She said her experience with it has dramatically changed her life, but she would like to expand the group to students.
Bagwell said cancer has given her strength and taught her to live every day of her life to the utmost of her ability.
"I think more about change and how I plan my future," she said.
It's important to not dwell on fear, she said, but focus on getting busy with what matters.
"There are worse things in life," Bagwell said.
