Family, friends and church members are pulling together
in Ashe County to help one of their own.
Heather Canter was diagnosed with uterine cancer in November 2008.
It was a shock to the family, as no member of the family had ever
had cancer, and uterine cancer is most often found in women over
40 or women who’ve gone through menopause.
Heather Canter, right, pictured
with her mother, Linda Canter, was diagnosed with cancer
in November 2008. Her church, Valley Home Baptist, will
host a benefit singing Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m. to
help the family pay medical bills. Photo
by Allison Canter
With medical and other bills mounting, Canter’s church family
will be holding a benefit singing on Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m.
at Valley Home Baptist Church on Three Top Road in Todd. All donations
will be used to assist Canter with her mounting expences.
Canter’s diagnosis sent her searching the Internet and talking
to family and friends about her options and what she might face.
“I was worried mainly because cancer is such a scary word,”
she said. “If you don’t know much about cancer, you
immediately think, ‘Am I going to die?’”
Canter’s doctor in Boone made an appointment right away for
her to see a specialist at the Cancer Center at Wake Forest University
Baptist Medical Center.
“I was glad to get an appointment right away and figure out
what was going on and what I would need to do,” Canter said.
“I knew my church, my family and my friends would be praying
for me and surround me with love and support, so I just needed
to know what my options were.”
After an initial consultation and many tests, Canter was told
that they believed the cancer was caught early and was very treatable.
There were basically three options to choose from. Canter could
do nothing; take hormone therapy to fight the cancer; or she could
have a hysterectomy.
To begin with, Canter decided to try the hormone therapy, hoping
to avoid the hysterectomy so she might have children if she so
decided.
Canter went through about three months of the therapy and went
back for a check up and testing. The test results showed that
the cancer had decreased somewhat, but not as much as the doctor
had hoped for.
“I was hoping for better results, but I knew I still had
another option with the hysterectomy,” Canter said. “The
hysterectomy was such a huge decision because it would be a final
decision, knowing I wouldn’t be able to have children. That
hadn’t been a major issue for me, but now that the possibility
might be taken away, I was more affected than I thought I’d
be.”
Canter didn’t do well on the hormone therapy. The pills kept
her in a weakened state and caused hot flashes. Since the cancer
hadn’t receded as much as they’d hoped for, she and
her family prayed for God to let her know if she should go ahead
with the hysterectomy. Over the next several days, Canter said
she heard from more and more people and it was soon obvious that
the hysterectomy was what she needed to do.
“I couldn’t believe the number of people who encouraged
me to go ahead with the surgery,” Canter said. “My family
and I had prayed, and I knew it was God’s plan for me to
go ahead with the surgery.”
After the hysterectomy, Canter remained in Baptist Hospital for
five days. She has been out of work for weeks to recover. She
has medical insurance, but with all of her tests and hospital
stays and surgeries since her diagnosis, Canter is struggling
to pay her regular bills and keep her medical bills paid, as well.
Her church family and friends have come together to help out with
her expenses. The Combs family of Boone and Preacher Ken Holmes
and wife, Chris, of Abingdon, Va., will sing at the benefit.
Those who would like to send a card or a donation, may do so by
mailing it to: Attention: Heather Canter, P.O. Box 327, West Jefferson,
N.C. 28694.
Canter said she hoped that her story might encourage others to
go to the doctor regularly and keep a close check on his or her
health.
“I’m so blessed that they caught the cancer early and
it was treatable,” Canter said. “I had to go through
this trial for some reason, and I pray that I can just keep my
mind on God’s plan for me, so that I come out of this much
stronger than I’ve ever been.”
Canter attended Northwest Ashe High School and Wilkes Community
College and is currently the business manager for the Ashe Mountain
Times. She is the daughter of Carter and Linda Canter of Creston
and the granddaughter of the late Paul and Katie (Sluder) Johnson
of Mountain City, Tenn., and the late Odell and Stella (Eller)
Canter of Creston.
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