Ken Bissell
Contributor
SEARCY – There are those
rare times in our lives when
we vividly remember where
we were and what we were
doing the moment we “heard
the news,” either good or
bad. One of those instances
occurred the afternoon of
Fri., Aug. 10, 2007 when I
learned that my wife Renee
was diagnosed with breast
cancer.
We expected the doctor’s
call that morning but it didn’t
come until late in the day.
She was home in Nolensville,
Tenn., south of Nashville,
with her best friend Nancy.
I was attending a board
meeting for a nonprofit I
served on the north side
of the city. After multiple
efforts to reach me via my
cell phone, Nancy broke the
news as I sat shocked and
dumbfounded in my car.
I found myself driving for
more than an hour through
rush hour traffic, desperate
to get home to help Renee
shoulder the heartbreak
and fear that we both were
experiencing. In an instant,
our lives were turned upside
down. A week after the doctor’s
call, she underwent
single mastectomy surgery
at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Barely a month later,
she faced the first of eight
rounds of chemotherapy.
Every other Monday from
October through January,
she endured the three to
four-hour sessions, each
one taking a greater toll on
her body than the previous
sitting. Continuous nausea,
severe body aches, extreme
fatigue and terribly painful
mouth sores were among the
side effects of the chemicals
that were pumped in her
body to kill the cancer.
In just two weeks, her hair
began falling out in bunches
leading to the inevitable
baldness that comes with
the treatments.
Watching her suffer beyond
anything either of
could have anticipated was
compounded by the challenge
of managing a home
that included three young
teenagers. Our children
were troopers, but it was up
to me to be both the dad and
mom during those darkest
days when Renee literally
could not get out of bed. To
say that life was grim in the
fall and winter of 2007-08 is
an understatement.
Prior to her scheduled
reconstruction surgery in
March 2008, Renee decided to have the other removed as a precaution.
The type of cancer she had
was known to be aggressive
and potentially recurring.
We both concluded that life
is more precious than body
parts, so it was an easy
decision.
It’s been eight years
since we received the bleak
news that hot August day.
In spite of the monumental
and life-changing challenge,
there were valuable lessons
learned in the process. Both
of us were people of faith,
but we discovered a new
reliance on God that we had
never experienced before.
The support we received
from family and friends was
overwhelming.
We witnessed a strength
in our children that we likely
would’ve never seen had we
not endured this difficult
chapter as a family. And
the depth of our love for
each other extended beyond
anything we had known in
the previous 20 years of our
marriage. I knew I married
up, but never knew just how
strong my wife was. She is,
without a doubt, the most
courageous person I know.
Today life is good. Renee
is cancer free and enjoys
a relatively healthy body.
The residual side effects are
manageable. We now live
in Searcy, where both of us
work for our alma mater,
Harding University, and all
three of our children attend.
We both occasionally
have opportunity to share
our story with couples who
find themselves in the same
place we were eight years
ago. We give God all the honor
and praise for carrying us
through that difficult time
and giving us perspective
on life. As I tell those who
are facing similar battles, He
never promised us a painless
life and He never forsakes us
when we face up to it.
Ken Bissell is a Center
Point native and a former
sports editor for The Nashville
News.
