Sarah C.

Sarah Cooper thinks everything happens for a reason. This belief and the fierce desire to treasure even the smallest joys in life give her the strength to forge ahead and the hope that the best is still to come.

In 2010, Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer. While she underwent her mastectomy at Mercy Medical Center, she decided to have most of her cancer treatment at Atlantic General.

She has lived in the community, developing a support network of friends and family, taking pride – and joy – in delighting guests as a server at Phillips Crab House, for 17 years.

The rigor of cancer treatment she knew would wear her out – and maybe something else that she can’t quite put her finger on – kept her here, close to home, as much as possible to do what she needed to do to defeat her breast cancer.

“There’s a reason I went to AGH,” she said, giving a nod to the spiritual as well as the practical. “Maybe it was to meet everyone I have there, to be given this way to share my story so I can help inspire others.”

And, Sarah’s is an inspiring story. Despite her relationship with cancer, which took her boyfriend, Chris, and eventually her mother and tangled with her older sister, Suzie, Sarah was upbeat and unwavering in her hope from the time she was diagnosed until the day she announced she was cancer free.

At every point in a very overwhelming process – the mastectomy of her left breast, several rounds of chemotherapy that left her fatigued and produced odd food cravings, a breast reconstruction, and an ovariectomy to avoid an increased risk for ovarian cancer – she only looked forward.

“You’ve got to stay positive. Positivity gets you everywhere.”

She still goes to AGH for mammograms and MRIs, alternating between the two every 6 months to make sure her body is still free of cancer. She has her bloodwork, and consults with Dr. Rabindra Paul, the medical oncologist who directs the Regional Cancer Care Center, on a regular basis. But, the ongoing monitoring is a reassurance and a reminder of what she has achieved, not something that holds her down.

The Facebook page that chronicles her treatment process and her myriad specialists’ appointments is bedazzled with exclamation points and “wahooo’s” as she celebrated each victory that took her one step closer to be her old, healthy self: The vibrant, energetic woman who waits tables all day long, 7 days a week at two different restaurants during the “season,” who plays darts with friends at the Grand, who loves her four cats, her friends and family, who just bought a house, who dreams of another soulmate, who is still living life to its fullest.

The Regional Cancer Care Center
At the Regional Cancer Care Center in Berlin, MD, we know that cancer care is about so much more than medical treatment. We’re sensitive to each patient’s emotional and mental state, in addition to the needs and wishes of family members and other caregivers. We are committed to ensuring that each patient receives quality, holistic treatment for the best outcomes.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call (410) 629-6888. Visit us at www.atlanticgeneral.org/cancercare.