"I was a sophomore who had just moved to Malden, and she was a freshman," Kay Ables fondly remembers, of how she and life-long friend Linda Dowdy first met. "We were in biology, and Linda was so smart. I knew I had better sit beside her if I wanted to pass, so I moved over to the table she shared with Winston Gribble, and the rest is history."
The two friends share a comfortable laugh at the old memory.
While Dowdy and Ables, who both now live in Dexter, have many stories of their teenage years in Malden -- the friends they shared, the chances they took, the fun they had as teens in a small town -- there is another memory they share. It is one neither of them would have imagined back in those carefree days.
They are both breast cancer survivors, diagnosed nine years apart.
"In the fall of 2005," Ables recalls, "I woke up one night with pain in my breast. There was what I thought was a spider bite. I went to the doctor and he agreed it was a bite, and prescribed an antibiotic."
Ables says the "bite" grew in size, and while it was not painful, it itched terribly.
"I eventually got an appointment with Dr. Hunt in Cape (Girardeau) and he did a needle biopsy. It was cancerous, and I immediately called Linda," she says smiling at the thought of her friend. "Linda was there for me every step of the way. Her mother and step-dad had both died of cancer, so she was a great support system to have in my corner."
Ables was offered the option of a lumpectomy but decided on a mastectomy, instead.
"I was 59 years old, and I knew how I wanted to proceed," she explains. "I tried chemotherapy, and did fine for 13 days, but then I became deathly ill, so I did not do that again."
Her radiation treatments were administered at Bethesda Cancer Treatment Center in Sikeston.
"I took 36 treatments" she says. "I went every week day beginning on Halloween and ending in January of 2006."
"The word cancer is so scary," Ables says, "and I was scared; but the support of my family and friends and my belief that God was with me, gave me the courage to face my fears."
"Kay is an optimist," chimes in Dowdy. "She always believes everything will turn out okay."
"I do look for the positives, and positively believe there is something besides this world," Ables affirms, "and I believe it is God."
Dowdy's cancer journey began in the early spring of 2014.
"I retired in 2004 from a career as a high school English teacher," Dowdy says. "In the fall of 2005 I took a temporary job with the Mother-to-Mother (M2M) program in Dexter. It was supposed to be short-term, but I wound up staying eight years.
"My last day with M2M was Dec. 31, 2013, and a short time later my husband and I left for Florida. We returned from vacation in late February. Soon after our return, I had scheduled an early-morning mammogram in Cape Girardeau. After the screening I went to McDonald's to get something to eat, and while I was there, I received a call to return to the office. I really wasn't worried," Dowdy explains, "because I had had suspicious mammograms before."
This time, though, would prove to be different.
"I went back to the Breast Care Center and by 10:30 I had had a spot compress, ultrasound and biopsy. Things happened pretty quickly after that," Dowdy recalls, "but the clincher was that my husband was out-of-town, so I had to be very select with whom I shared the news because I didn't want him to find out while he was gone.
"My doctor made an appointment with a surgeon, and my dear friend Diana, herself a cancer survivor, went with me and took copious notes. I had not told Kay at this point," explains Dowdy, 'because Kay still worked, and I knew she would insist on taking off to be with me."
An MRI was scheduled for the morning following the meeting with the surgeon, so Dowdy had to tell another friend, Darla.
"I was all worked up at the thought of going through that," Dowdy says, "but it wasn't bad. After the MRI, Darla and I went to the casino and looked around, but we didn't play because we were too cheap," she chuckles.
Dowdy's husband came home from his trip and she was finally able to tell him, and others, what was going on.
"I had a lumpectomy the next week, followed by 33 radiation treatments," Dowdy says.
She took the chemotherapy test, but her score of 6/30 predicted a low chance of cancer recurrence.
"Because I had friends who had been brave throughout their treatment, I really was not afraid of what lay in store," Dowdy says, "but I was joyfully surprised at the outpouring of love and affection I received."
There were so many notes and cards, she says, still amazed. A Sunday School class at First Baptist Church sends cards to people who do not even attend their church.
"I hope they know how much that meant to me," Dowdy says, adding later, "I think it is important for women to know that breast cancer is not as bad as they fear. I drew on the faith of others who have been through it, and on the strength of family and friends."
"You can't do it on your own," Ables adds. "You need to rely on the friends and family who are there for you, and who want to help."
"And most importantly," Dowdy stresses, "talk to your doctor. Let him know how you're feeling, and what you're thinking. He is there to help you, but he can't if you aren't honest with him. If you need help, ask him for it."