Laura Clark thought breast cancer wouldn’t find her. It did.

By the grace of God and with the help of friends and family, Laura Clark is waging a battle with aggressive breast cancer.

The retired Poplar Bluff Junior High School Spanish teacher and artist is facing her triple negative breast cancer diagnosis the way she lives her life, with faith and humor.

“I always assumed since no one in my family had breast cancer, I wouldn’t have it,” Clark said. “I was home free for almost eight decades.”

Laura Clark plays around in her art studio. Clark is using humor in her battle against breast cancer. DAR/Paul Davis

After her routine physical, her nurse practitioner, Sandi Reese, reminded her he needed a 3D mammogram. The radiology staff asked her to return for a second 3D mammogram, then two sonograms, before breaking the news Clark had breast cancer.

DAR/Paul Davis

Clark had expected to have congestive heart health issues like other family members, not the cancer diagnoses she received Feb. 14. Clark will celebrate her 80th birthday in November.

Describing her cancer as “very aggressive,” Clark believes she was fortunate Reese caught it when she did.

Jack and Laura Clark celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2019. Photo provided

“I certainly stress yearly mammograms for older ladies,” she said. “Our immune system is more prone to not fight things off. I found out you did not have to have family members with cancer to have breast cancer. I realized I shouldn’t have been blasé and resting on your laurels, I advise mammograms and self exams. If I had been doing self exams we might have caught the cancer sooner.”

Clark selected an oncologist and a surgeon at Saint Francis Medical Center. She has had her first round of chemotherapy and surgery and is beginning a six month regiment of oral chemotherapy, which she doesn’t believe will be as hard as the infusions. She finds a “sense of humor has helped” and “not taking yourself too seriously” is good. When the doctor put her on oral chemotherapy, she asked if they came in gummies.

After that “I’ll glow in the dark with radiation,” she said smiling. “Chemo brain was the worse thing I have had, I was in Lauraland.”

Since her cancer is aggressive and often reoccurs, she elected to have both breasts removed and is not planning to have reconstructive surgery.

“It seemed a wise choice. If I was younger, my decision might be different,” she said.

While she did not lose all her hair, she did think about wearing a wig. Recounting her experience trying on a wig, Clark said she picked one the color of her own hair, but when she looked in the mirror, the wig made her hair look like “Dolly Parton’s hair on steroids. I prefer ball caps.”

Clark and husband, Jack, a retired history teacher who taught at Poplar Bluff High School, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a party, cake, balloons and flowers.

Jack has Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Laura was his caregiver for a year and four months before it became harder and harder for her to get him up when he fell. He’s been in a nursing home since April and “is doing really well, especially since both diseases are progressive,” she said.

The Clarks’ son, Dean, was an international English teacher for 11 years before kidney failure forced him to return to Poplar Bluff. He’s been on dialysis three times a week for a year and a half, waiting on a transplant. While taking dialysis, he studies for classes he takes at Three Rivers College.

Clark, who is a member of Holy Cross Episcopal Church, “realized I needed God’s help. I thought well this is a lot to deal with; I will just be thankful. I have a menu chalkboard and I wrote on it ‘thank you. God, for everything.’ I have counted on God’s grace and it makes everything go easier.”

She is managing to “go on this journey, make it as pleasant as possible and to make blessings out of a bad thing.”

“I think I was blessed to have family and friends,” she said. “I have really appreciated all the prayers and cards. They lift your spirits.”

Clark admits dealing with health issues are easier when you have help like she has from family and friends.

“UCAN is such a help,” Clark said. “UCAN provides wigs and a lot of assistance for people.”

She feels people who especially don’t have family and friends to help them need to take advantage of UCAN’s services.

“They are a good charity to donate to,” she said.

“I am thankful my cancer has been a gracious learning experience,” she said. “I met wonderful professional people on this path and all kinds of interesting people in the waiting rooms. Everyone we meet is a teacher as their experiences are as unique as fingerprints. I have grown closer to my husband and son, my family and friends as they cared for me and helped me with all the everyday needs that chemo and surgery make difficult for the patient. Transportation, cards and food were much appreciated, but the prayers were the most dear to me.”