September 25, 2018, is a date Tari McClung will never forget.

“I was in Baltimore, Maryland, waiting to catch a flight home from a conference when I received the call, the receptionist stated there was an area of concern on my mammogram and the doctor wanted me to come in for additional testing,” McClung said. “This was my fourth mammogram and I had never received a call before, so I knew in my gut something was wrong.”

Waiting is always the worst part, McClung said. After hearing the news that she was told she would have to wait two weeks for an appointment.

“When the mammography tech took me back she said they would do a 3D mammogram and then the doctor would review the film. If there was an area of concern they would come back and get me for an ultra sound,” McClung said. “The tech performed the mammogram and when she was finished she said, I am going to go ahead and take you to the ultra sound room. I knew then, she saw the area in question. An ultrasound was performed and the tech went to show the doctor the results. A few minutes later the doctor came in the room and asked to do her own ultra sound. She then stated there is an area she was concerned about and she felt a biopsy was needed.”

Another two weeks passed, and three days later, on Oct. 22, 2018, McClung, then 42, was officially diagnosed with ductal carcinoma breast cancer.

“There is no history of breast cancer in my family, so this was a new journey for us that we knew nothing about and I was scared,” McClung said. “I was referred to UAB Kirklin Clinic. There I met my team of doctors and a plan was made. After more tests it was discovered I had two tumors in my left breast, the decision was made that I would have a lumpectomy to remove the tumors.”

In December, the doctors removed both tumors and an area around the tumors for testing, McClung said.

“They also removed the sentinel lymph node for testing to see if it had spread to the lymph node area,” McClung said. “When all the results came back it was determined they did find a trace of cancer in the lymph node area but the margins around the tumors were clear.  These results gave me my official diagnosis of Stage 2 Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer, ER & PR + and Her2-. This means the cancer was hormone driven but was not considered aggressive. Further tests showed I had an Oncotype score, which is my risk of reoccurrence score based off the tissue of the tumor, of 15 out of 100.”

McClung said that having the low score was a big relief, because consequently, IV chemotherapy was not part of the treatment plan.

“The treatment plan was 20 radiation treatments to both the left breast and lymph node area,” McClung said. “I traveled to Montgomery Monday through Friday, every day for four weeks for my radiation treatments. My husband is a CPA so radiation could not have come at a worse time than the middle of tax season, but I had a host of family and friends that volunteered to take me when my husband couldn’t, so I was never alone. It made the time fly by and I enjoyed getting to catch up with every one of them.”

Hearing the words, “you have cancer” is life changing, McClung said, because it does not affect only the person that has cancer.

“It affects everyone around you,” McClung said. “My husband and my family have been my biggest supporters and they have all carried me when I didn’t know what my next step was. Having the support of everyone around me, praying for me, encouraging me and helping me along the way is what has kept me so positive.”

Though she always kept her spirits up, McClung said that she did have her down days.”

“It has been hard,” McClung said. “It is a battle in many ways, physically, emotionally and financially. I have had to lean on some strong women that have walked this journey before me and some walking the journey at the same time I am, to encourage me that it was all going to be OK. I have always heard that cancer is just as much a mental battle as it is a physical battle and I can say with 100 percent assurance that for me it has been.”

For McClung, the biggest battle  was the emotional stress.

“I have been blessed physically with my recovery. My biggest battle has been the emotional stress the word cancer puts on you and your family and the fear that continues to linger,” McClung said. “As a Christian I know that nothing touches me without going through my loving Father’s hands and I know He has a purpose for everything, including cancer. My faith in God has never wavered, it has been my strength through it all. I surrounded myself with devotions written by breast cancer patients and it was always the perfect one I needed to read that day.”

McClung said that there is a bond among people that have walked the cancer journey that she can’t explain.

“They just understand the roller coaster you are on because they have been there first hand,” McClung said. “I can’t tell you how many ladies, some I never knew before my diagnosis, have reached out to me to tell me their story and to just encourage me through this journey. It has been an amazing and I plan to do the same thing to those I hear about in the future, because I know how much they helped me.”

She is not in the clear just yet, but she is hopeful that she will prevent reoccurrence.

“Although I have not received the all clear yet, we are moving on to prevention of reoccurrence,” McClung said. “I have started a hormone based chemotherapy pill that I will take daily for the next 10 years.”

She said that her story could have turned out completely different if she had not had annual mammograms.

“I feel incredibly blessed that the cancer was caught early, thanks to my mammogram,” McClung said. “I cannot stress the importance of annual self-checks and mammograms. Don’t put them off. Early detection is so important when it comes to breast cancer.

McClung is excited to be able to walk with the others who have fought against cancer at the Covington County’s Relay for Life this Friday at Springdale.

“I want to thank our community for all the prayers and support you have given me and my family,” McClung said. “Relay for Life has taken on a whole new meaning for me personally and for my family. Cancer changes your life, it opens your eyes to what is important and makes you hold on a little tighter. It truly is life changing in so many ways.”

“When you are faced with tough decisions, first pray about it and then have a team of doctors around you that you trust! My husband and I spent many late nights with our family physician, Dr. Kerr,” she said. “He helped us look at everything that was coming at us and make the decisions best for me. I also can’t say enough about the team of doctors I have at UAB, they have held our hand each step of the way and given me options so I could choose the path best for me. June 26, is the date of my next test to determine if all the cancer is gone and then I will have test every three months for a period of time. I look forward to hearing the words, “You are cancer free.’”

McClung is excited to be able to walk with the several other people who have fought against cancer at the Covington County’s Relay for Life this Friday at Springdale.

“I want to thank our community for all the prayers and support you have given me and my family,” McClung said. “Relay for Life has taken on a whole new meaning for me personally and for my family. Cancer changes your life, it opens your eyes to what is important and makes you hold on a little tighter. It truly is life changing in so many ways. I am thankful that this Friday I will be able to walk the survivors’ lap and be in the company of so many others that so bravely fought this terrible disease and I will look at each of them a little different this year because I have a better understand of their fight.”