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MEET TINA

Tina Seymour, Survivor Ocean Springs, MS

TINA'S STORY

I was diagnosed with colon cancer on July 2, 2008. That statement alone would make many pause, and wonder how or why the 2008 Fourth of July holiday even showed up on my radar screen, considering the new focus my life had found.

And, to be honest, on Wednesday, July 2nd, when my husband, Bryan, and I were consulting with surgeons on how to remove the tumors from my body, nor on Thursday, July 3rd, when my family arrived en masse to provide support, comfort, and proximity to me and my husband, did the upcoming holiday cross my mind.

On Friday, July 4th, however, I found that I had become the unofficial host to my friend Anne and my younger sister, Kitty, and her two children, my niece and nephew—Annie (age 4) and Byron (age 6). To pass up a chance to share the wonder of the Clinton fireworks with them seemed a crime, so at dark we set off to the park, finding a picnic table to perch on as the crowds gathered. Annie sat in my lap and leaned back against me, excitement and anticipation radiating from her small body.

Breathing in the warm, misty Mississippi air, I leaned back and looked up to the sky. For the first time in days, my focus was off of my body, my worries, and my future. Sitting there with a wriggling bundle of energy in my lap, waiting for the fireworks to begin, I was nothing more than another American waiting for the celebration to begin.

And that was all. I was just another American proud of how our country fought for independence. I was someone thankful that others had fought their own fights and forged a trail of defiance and pride in their right to independence from war, oppression, and poverty. A trail that now opened, clear and wide, in front of me.

Closing my eyes as the rockets burst over our heads, I realized that my own fight, my surgery in a few days, and my recovery were but small parts of the fight that we, as Americans, face every day. My priorities, my view of my own situation seemed clear for the first time since I’d heard my diagnosis.

And as the final booms faded in the air, and the smoke trail tapered out overhead, Annie looked up at me and said, “That was awesome.” As a few tears slid down my face, I had to agree.

In July 2013, I celebrated my five year remission mark...and this July...I will celebrate again as one of the 2015 Colondar Models!

TINA'S ADVICE

Don't give up.  It's a scary roller coaster ride...but you can get through this.

WHAT ONE MILLION STRONG MEANS TO TINA

It means that there are way too many of us fighting this disease.  We need more research and funding for this research to drop this cancer to the bottom of the list of deadly diseases...

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