Dawn’s Story: Fighting for a Future through Resilience
Dawn rises each morning to welcome her third graders into her Iowa public school classroom.
Dawn rises each morning to welcome her third graders into her Iowa public school classroom. She is a dedicated teacher, devoted mother of two daughters, and a loving wife who shares her home with three energetic dogs. But beneath Dawn’s smiles and lesson plans, she quietly carries the weight of the relentless uncertainty of cancer risk.
Dawn’s world shifted when eight years ago when she underwent her first lumpectomy. It was revealed that she had Atypical Lobular Hyperplasia that makes imaging more difficult and places her in the high-risk category for breast cancer.
This news hit her like a ton of bricks – but she was determined to find the best medical advice available, arming herself with every possible tool to protect her health.
But living in a rural Iowa town presents unique challenges – the local hospital lacked the medical advances necessary for her care. In pursuit of the best possible treatment, Dawn and her husband made her health their top priority – traveling hours from home, first to the Mayo Clinic and then to the University of Iowa. Her husband took time off work to accompany her to every consultation and test, while the family reshaped their lives around medical appointments rather than teaching conferences.
The investment paid off. Dawn was told she qualified for a drug, often referred to as the “cancer prevention” drug that could decrease her chances of developing breast cancer. For the next five years after her diagnosis, Dawn took tamoxifen – a drug primarily used to treat and prevent hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
More than five years later, Dawn remains breast cancer-free. But as she watches the federal government slash – and continue to threaten – funding for medical research that could lead to lifesaving treatments, she can’t help but wonder,
“If I didn’t have the tamoxifen, where would I be?”
Dawn knows she’s not out of the woods. She takes her responsibility to protect her health seriously, staying vigilant with regular monitoring. She also gives back – participating in two breast cancer research projects because she understands how critical research is, not only for her own care but for countless others who depend on scientific breakthroughs.
Through it all, Dawn continues to return each day to her students, guiding them with patience and hope. Her story is a testament to the power of persistence, the value of scientific research, and the belief that everyone deserves a fighting chance no matter where they call home.
Her message to lawmakers is simple yet urgent: “When you stop research, you harm real people. You have the potential to save lives and keep families together – why would you take that away?”