HAMILTON, Mich. — The start of October marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month, and a Hamilton Community Schools librarian is sharing her story as she returns to educating kids after her personal battle.
She has been working at the same school for 19 years.
Sandyview Elementary School is rallying around the librarian they've had for almost two decades, especially after she was diagnosed with not one but two different types of cancer this past year.
"In November of this last school year, I had my first mammogram. I had some suspicious spots. Through more testing and biopsies in December, we discovered I had breast cancer," said Sandyview Elementary School Media Center Clerk and Custodian Elizabeth Foshaug.
It was new territory for Elizabeth Foshaug. With her diagnosis came multiple series of tests, and then her second cancer diagnosis, thyroid cancer.
"It was a bit of a shock, but for me it has always been God has got it. Let’s go. Let’s do what we need to do. It’s not, I haven’t dwelled on the emotional side. It has always just been that plan. Go forward and let’s get it done," said Foshaug.
Both cancers were caught in stage one. She went through chemotherapy, radiation and now remains on targeted maintenance chemo.
"The last semester, we had to do an altered schedule to allow me the days to get my treatments and then a day to just be able to rest in between so that I wasn’t over doing myself," said Foshaug.
During that time away, she never felt alone.
Her coworkers picked up any additional work she couldn't, and her students sent her notes and get well cards.
Now though, she said she's glad to be back doing what she loves — working with the kids and letting them choose books to take home.
"These are the books that they can pick that they want to read that are just for fun. Kids need that to keep them involved in reading, because if they don’t get the books that they need, that they want to read, then they’re going to stop reading," said Foshaug.
While she's back in the classroom, Foshaug said she still has some side effects from the radiation because it was so recent. She said those should be disappear within the next couple of months.
Foshaug also encourages women to go and get a mammogram when they can as the sooner you find, the better.
