MILES, Iowa -- Marla Daniels couldn't believe the news.
Her cancer had returned.
"Why me again? I worked so hard to kick this," she said. "I don't drink. I don't smoke. Why me again?"
Doctors diagnosed Daniels with breast cancer in 2005. The cancer returned in 2008.
"It went into my liver -- now my cancer is incurable," she said.
The 47-year-old Miles resident shares her story Monday evening during Images & Information 16.
The annual fashion show promotes awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection, celebrates surviving the disease and raises money for grants given to breast cancer survivors facing financial hardship.
Daniels received such a grant. She operates a hair salon in her home, but cancer curtailed her ability to work.
"I never quit, but I had to cut back," she said. "The days I had chemo, I couldn't work."
Daniels' husband works at Flexsteel Industries and was laid off several times during her cancer treatments.
"It was kind
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Images & Information 16 will be held Monday at the Grand River Center. A silent auction opens at 5 p.m. The annual fashion show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door and are available at Amirage Salon, The Discovery Shop, and DBQ Fashions. Proceeds benefit the Tri-State Survivor's Fund. For more information, go to imagesandinformation.org. |
Daniels' middle son, Austin, suffered a football-related concussion that triggered a stroke.
"That happened when I was going through chemo," Daniels said. "You just think, this can't be happening."
Thanks to rigorous therapy, Austin is regaining his full abilities and is now able to play baseball.
Daniels' cancer experience began while she chaperoned her oldest son, Aaron, on a post-high school trip to Washington, D.C.
"I found the lump myself, in the shower," she said. "I thought: This isn't good."
One day, the family sent Aaron to college. The next day, youngest son Arik began preschool.
"The next day, I started my treatment," Daniels said. "It was a tough week."
Daniels completed her treatments in November 2007.
Months later, Daniels' mother-in-law injured ribs in a fall and convalesced at the family's home.
"The whole time she was here, I didn't feel good," Daniels said. "I was fatigued and tired. I just had no zip."
Although her doctor said fatigue was something she should expect, Daniels sensed this fatigue was different. She pressed until doctors agreed to scans.
"It was me being adamant," she said.
The scans indicated the cancer's return and spread.
Doctors turned to a pair of drugs recently approved for use -- Tykerb and Xeloda.
"I take 12 pills a day," Daniels said. "The combination seems to be working for me."
The medications have kept her cancer in check.
On Monday, Daniels will share some lessons of her experiences.
"You waste your time dwelling on it," she said. "You have to move forward. Time's too precious -- especially when you have kids."
