TYLER, Texas — Chances are you know someone or will know someone affected by breast cancer. This year, the statistics show almost 300,000 women and men were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
In this week’s Hooked on East Texas, we meet a cancer survivor and the organization determined to one day reel in a cure.
We met Debbie Bell on a sunny fall day on the shore of Lake Athens, where she shared her journey. Bell is a cancer survivor and knows better than most the unlikely connection between breast cancer and fishing.
Bell said she credits her survival to the breast cancer support group Pink Fishing.
“It means my life. They gave me my life”, said Bell her voice full of emotion.
Pink Fishing is a Texas-based breast cancer support group. Misty Schmidt heads the Henderson County chapter. Schmidt said the organization is small, but they do big things.
Pink Fishing did big things for Bell. At first, Bell hesitated to get a diagnostic mammography because of the lack of health insurance, but that’s when Pink Fishing stepped in. Bell recalled the day she went in for mammography.
“And when I got through, I went to the office. And I said, 'Okay, we need to discuss how I can pay for my diagnostic mammogram.' The woman looked at me and she said, 'No worries you're taken care of.' 'Excuse me, by whom?' she said, pink fishing.”
Pink Fishing raises money through bass, trout, catfish, saltwater competitions, and other fundraisers around Henderson County.
“So kind of incorporating a love for fishing? And making a difference with, you know, breast cancer awareness and just mashing those two together," Schmidt said.
Pink Fishing was there for Bell through several rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Bell remembers the low point.
“Or the next day when we got home, and I was able to take a shower. And I saw myself, it was to me that was devastating."
But Pink Fishing was there with encouraging emails, texts, and phone calls, which all played a vital role in Bell’s journey.
“And all that helped me so much. So, this is more than just a fishing organization. This is breast cancer. Yes, (a) survivor support organization."
Schmidt was there when Bell rang the cancer survivor bell. For Schmidt, Pink Fishing is personal.
“You know, my aunt is a breast cancer survivor. And then, my best friend from high school passed away from breast cancer five years after we graduated high school. So all of my adult life. Pink is where, you know, my passion comes from," Schmidt said.
That kind of passion made a difference in Bell’s life, and now she shares her story with others battling breast cancer, including a co-worker.
“And I'm just telling her to be positive about everything and, you know, keep hope and faith, and she's not alone. If it is cancer, she's not alone that I'm there with her, and Pink Fishing will be too.”
2024 will be a groundbreaking year for Pink Fishing. The non-profit is partnering with the Henderson County United Way to provide 33 mammogram screenings for Henderson County residents. The goal is to increase breast cancer education, awareness, and prevention.
For more information on Pink Fishing, click here.