Last fall, Threasa McWilliams thought she might have pneumonia. She was having difficulty breathing and her condition was not improving. In September, she decided to go to the emergency room.
That’s where McWilliams, 47, received the news that floored her. She said doctors informed her that she had Stage IV lung cancer. She was also told her cancer had spread to her breasts, abdomen and spine, among other areas in her body. Even though she is undergoing chemotherapy, those treatments are only meant to give McWilliams a better quality of life in the near term. She said her cancer is terminal, and it’s unknown how much time she has left.
“My world has been turned upside down,” McWilliams said recently over the phone from her home in Windsor, York County. “Being told I couldn’t work any longer … Accepting the news that I got diagnosed with terminal cancer and breast cancer … Not being able to be normal for me is hard.”
Despite her prognosis, McWilliams has tried to stay positive. She said that’s been easier to accomplish with support from Vickie’s Angel Foundation, which has helped her financially in recent months due to the fact that she was forced to stop working.
In addition to that monetary help, McWilliams said those involved with the foundation, including founder Mickey Minnich and the people who sit on the foundation’s Board of Directors, have also been her “rocks,” offering emotional support and encouragement.
“When I hang up the phone after talking to them, I’m always in tears. Everyone has been phenomenal. I don’t know how to say thank you enough,” McWilliams said.
An army veteran and mother of two grown children, ages 19 and 23, McWilliams also shared that her 69-year-old mother recently was diagnosed with cancer in her lungs and chest. That followed an aunt’s diagnosis with lung cancer. Given that history, McWilliams is planning to see a doctor to determine whether her genetics might make her children more prone to a cancer diagnosis.
In the meantime, she is fond of saying that God “only gives the strongest the battles.” She also said she holds on to hope that maybe somehow her faith and the support she receives from her family and friends will help her overcome her disease.
“Maybe with God and my support system, we can beat this,” McWilliams said. “Maybe I can tell other cancer patients about how I did it.”
About Us: Vickie's Angel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission of helping families fighting cancer who cannot pay their bills because of going through cancer treatment. The foundation’s goal is to take away the financial worry from the family, providing a temporary bridge that allows them to focus entirely on beating this disease. Since 2003, Vickie’s Angel Foundation has raised over $3.2 million and helped more than 2,000 families. Importantly, 100% of all online donations, and monies received at our walk; along with 100% of net proceeds from sponsored events, go directly to those in need.