By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — It was a year ago this week that Dr. Rachel Hoffert, a professor of education at Grace College, felt a lump in her breast.
That dreadful moment eventually led to a cancer diagnosis and the decision to have a double mastectomy, and later, reconstructive surgery.
Today, she’s cancer free and back to living a normal life.
She and her husband, Dr. David Hoffert, sat down to talk about her experience with News Now Warsaw as part of the public affair show, In the Know.
Hoffert, a 43-year-old mother of three, said she found the lump during a self-exam.
Weeks later, She got the results while at a high school football game on a Friday night.
Hoffert was so impressed with the work of the Goshen Cancer Center that she agreed to work with them on a publicity campaign, which includes Billboards and a testimonial.
She said she was impressed with the center’s holistic approach, and the emphasis in getting to know her background and her family.
“Through it all, I learned through my girlfriends, and now people in the community — take care of yourself. Do your self-exams. Get your mammograms. Be proactive because it truly is life-saving,” she said.
A week before her initial surgery, she and her family were at another football game that featured Pink Out Night for breast cancer awareness, which left a lasting impression.
“I was sitting up in the stands, kind of becoming a little emotional thinking about it and I looked over at the student section and there was just a sea of pink. I remember thinking, they’re wearing pink. They’re supporting breast cancer awareness. My community — they might not know I have breast cancer — but they’re behind me. In fact, these students give me courage and hope to walk through the next phase in my journey,” she said.
In October, Rachel will participate in this year’s Pink out night hosted annually by the student body.
In her discussion, the Hofferts talk about going public, her childrens’ reaction and seeing her billboards pop up in Warsaw.
Be sure to tune in to this week’s in The Know to hear more about the Hoffert family’s journey through a cancer diagnosis.
