Defying the Odds with Strength, Support, and CyberKnife® Precision: Tamera's Journey

Tamera Morrison, a wife, mother, and devoted daughter, is a beloved member of the Belpre Cancer Center. Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Tamera shares her story as a courageous warrior of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

11 years ago, Tamera found herself becoming all too aware of Memorial Health System’s cancer team when her mother fought her own battle against breast cancer at 77 years of age. Thankfully, her mom beat the cancer and has been cancer-free since. However, she never expected that her own cancer journey would begin with a self-breast exam in 2018, at 53 years old.

“I do appreciate what everyone has done for me here, trying to get me through this. I’m still fighting. Five years, but I’m still fighting every day. Hopefully, someday, I’ll get to hear the news that I’m cancer-free.”

“I was not quite ready to receive a mammogram yet. It was about three or so months before when I found it [cancer] by a freak accident during a self-breast exam.

I had always been a patient with Memorial Health System. My mom too. When I found out I had breast cancer, the Belpre Cancer Center was still being built, so I began aggressive chemo and radiation at Marietta Memorial Hospital.

My mom had breast cancer as well; she found out at 77 years old. We had always known Drs. Cawley and Vasan, as well as other team members. Naturally, I became a patient of Dr. Cawley and Marcia McCullough, NP.

All my nurses, I can name a slew of them, they all hug me when I come in. I bring them Tim Hortons every month when I come in, just to try and thank them for taking great care of me.

In 2021, I had an accident involving a tractor where I broke 12 ribs, punctured a lung, and broke a vertebra. I had just finished radiation and was bringing my mother-in-law here for her treatment. It was because of that accident though, that they found more cancer in my spine.

I went through the rest of the summer, and in September they decided to begin using the CyberKnife—which is the neatest thing, and I don’t think most people know what that is—and I was so amazed by it. It may take longer, for me it’s about an hour or so, but it’s very intricate.

If I could tell anyone anything, it would be to always do your self-breast exams. Even the slightest of ‘ifs’, do it anyways because it can be something that saves your life. Also, when you’re first diagnosed, be sure to find a support group. If you don’t know anyone who has been through this, it can be hard. So, find someone who can support you and help you with everything. For me, if it had not been for my family, friends, or my church group, I don’t think I could have made it through.”

What is CyberKnife

The CyberKnife® System is a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors as well as other conditions where radiation therapy is necessary. It is used to treat areas including brain, lung, spine, prostate, and abdomen, and may be an alternative to surgery for patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors. Often, even patients previously treated with radiation, who have metastatic lesions or recurrent cancers, can receive CyberKnife® treatment.

With more than two decades of clinical proof and the successful treatment of thousands of cancer patients, the CyberKnife® System has been shown to deliver excellent cancer control with reduced risk of side effects.

Proven Outcomes | Minimized Side Effects | Fewer Treatments

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