Bobbie Cook

With a flair for design and an eye for bargains, Bobbie Cook hopes to become an interior designer. Currently she operates a daycare out of her home, keeping just a few children at a time, something she began when she was diagnosed with cancer.

In September 1999, while receiving treatment for a kidney infection, Bobbie was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment before having her bladder removed in January 2000.

"When I was first diagnosed, it really threw my family for a loop," Bobbie noted. "We are really close-knit, and I had just lost my husband to a massive heart attack."

Cancer did not slow down Bobbie much. "Throughout my treatment and surgery, I really didnÕt have a lot of pain. The Lord brought me through," she said.

Despite chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Bobbie kept a daycare in her home, in addition to keeping up with her three children, three grandchildren, mother and seven sisters, her support network. She also noted that her physicians were extremely supportive. Speaking of the Oncology staff, she said, "They were so good to me. They are angels to me."

Even with so much support, Bobbie said that she had to keep going, doing things for herself. Her philosophy: "You canÕt lay around and not do things for yourself. If you do, you become that way."

Since her surgery, Bobbie noted she has not had any problems.

"My outlook on cancer has changed. Before, I used to think cancer automatically meant death. Now, with technology, I believe that if someone dies, the cancer had just spread too much before it was found."