Megan Landreth still has battle wounds from her fight with cancer. But just as she said she would seven months ago, Landreth has beaten the odds.
The White-Wilson Medical Center nurse was told last summer that two tumors had been discovered in her brain and her chances of surviving were small. Despite the odds, the 25-year-old mom pledged that she would not give up. She would be the victor.
“I’m still shocked,” Landreth said of learning earlier this month that she is cancer free. “The doctor showed us the scan that had these tumors the size of golf balls and then he showed us the one that day and there was nothing. All of the cancer was gone.
“The doctor even said, ‘I did not expect this.’ But, I never thought I wouldn’t make it. I just knew I had to fight.”
Landreth, who lives in Choctaw Beach with her husband, Jimmy, and their 4-year-old daughter, Gracey, said she never had to deal with her disease alone, and that made a seemingly impossible battle possible to win.
From the beginning, community support for the optimistic woman has poured in. Colleagues donated hours to her for sick leave. Locals and out-of-state residents bought fundraising merchandise from “Megan’s Miracle.” Others simply donated funds to help Landreth’s young family survive the costly treatments.
Landreth even became one of three recipients for the Cancer Freeze, an event taking place this Saturday at 7 a.m. at Lake Jackson in Florala. Participants donate a minimum of $20 to water-ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, or tube in the frigid waters. The event donates 100 percent of its proceeds to individuals fighting cancer.
“This is a victory not just for me but for everybody who’s been there for me,” Landreth said. “My family was there, and that’s not just blood but my work family and everyone else who did anything to help, even if they just sent me one text saying hello. It all meant something to me.”
Today, Landreth works in Fort Walton Beach at the neurological center and says she tells the patients her story of survival. She says from here on out, she won’t hesitate to tell everyone that miracles still happen.
“You just have to keep your faith, as hard as it is sometimes. You have to stay positive,” she said. “Somebody’s helping you fight a much bigger battle.”
To learn more about the Cancer Freeze this Saturday, go to www.cancerfreeze.net.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.