It would be safe to assume that Julie Eddy’s life was not so different than that of many others in Magnolia. She was born here, raised here, and graduated from Magnolia High School in 1991. She went on to study at Southern Arkansas University, where she majored in special education and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree. Shortly thereafter, she attained her master’s degree, which was also in special education, and began a 20-plus year career in her hometown with special needs children.
“I always knew I wanted to teach special ed,” said Eddy. “It’s just something I gravitated to. My heart has always been in it.”
She married her husband, Horace, and had a daughter, Taylor. By all accounts, things were going smoothly in her life – until they weren’t.
In 2012, her father, David Pesses, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a sometimes treatable form of lymphatic cancer. He went through treatment and, in October of that year, he was cleared of all cancer symptoms by his doctors. But a few weeks later, he was in the hospital again.
“Just before Thanksgiving they thought he had a stroke in his eye, but the cancer had metastasized even after we got a clear report – it was everywhere,” said Eddy. “We spent Thanksgiving of 2012 in the hospital. In December, he wanted to come home for Christmas. So, we brought him there on Christmas Eve while on hospice.”
A few weeks later, Pesses passed away. This was not the only tragedy to strike Eddy. In 2014, she also unexpectedly lost her mother.
The following year, things didn’t get much better. This time, it was Eddy herself who received bad news. In October 2015, she was called back to Magnolia Regional Medical Center for further testing after a routine mammogram. Quickly, she knew something was out of the ordinary.
“They said they needed to get a few more pictures,” said Eddy. “I didn’t think anything of it. Then I went back to the hospital again, and they said they just needed one more picture. I knew that was a bit strange. I knew something was wrong.”
After reviewing the test results, Eddy was told not to leave the facility. She was immediately taken for an ultrasound procedure which confirmed what everyone feared. Eddy was officially diagnosed with breast cancer, and a double mastectomy was scheduled.
It was determined that the cancer had spread to a few of Eddy’s lymph nodes. As a precaution during the mastectomy procedure, a few of the nodes were also removed. Not only did Eddy have invasive breast cancer, she also had ductal breast cancer which probably caused the spread of the disease.
“They don’t always have to take out lymph nodes, but in my case they did,” said Eddy. “Fortunately, it only traveled to a couple of them, and they were removed.”
She elected to have implants inserted during the procedure. If all went as planned, Eddy would be ready for her chemotherapy treatment shortly after she recovered from her mastectomy. But, again, things did not go as planned.
“Six weeks after I had implants put in, I contracted an infection in the incision,” Eddy said. “We went to the ER, and they admitted me. We really didn’t have a choice but to remove the implants just after they were put in – it was just kind of a freaky deal. The implant wasn’t the cause of the infection, but it was the incision itself.”
Both Staph and Methicillin-resistant Staph (MRSA) – which can sometimes be deadly – infected the incision, which delayed Eddy’s chemotherapy treatment by a month.
“It was horrible, just horrible,” said Eddy. “I was in the hospital for a week and then I came home with drains and I was on IV antibiotics with Home Health.”
Finally, in late February 2016, she began her chemotherapy. The timing of the treatment was not exactly the greatest according to Eddy. Her daughter was entering her final semester of high school, and she was involved in many school activities including Magnolia Panther athletics. The therapy she was receiving made it nearly impossible for Eddy to attend any events.
“We went to chemo once every three weeks,” said Eddy. “Afterwards you just feel like death warmed over. You can’t do anything. When you do finally begin feeling better, it’s time to go back for another round. Taylor was on swim team her senior year, and I missed all of that — including state championships. It was terrible. But they would FaceTime with me on their phones while I was sitting on the porch with no hair. She’s an only child, and I had never missed any event she had ever been to in her life. It was really difficult.”
Senior prom and graduation would also occur during this time. Although she desperately wanted to take part in all of the usual pre-prom activities including dress shopping and decorating, Eddy was not able to do so because of her treatment. But all was not lost. Before leaving for dinner and photos, her daughter and her prom party first stopped by Eddy’s home.
“All I wanted to do was see them dressed up in person,” said Eddy. “Her party bus drove by with all of them in their tuxedos and gowns. It was just great.”
Eddy was able to attend her daughter’s graduation. The treatment timing happened to fall perfectly where she was healthy enough to make it to the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Finally, in June 2016, after six sessions of chemotherapy, Eddy was found to be cancer free. She has just one plastic surgery left, which is scheduled for this summer. At that point she hopes to be finished with all of her surgical procedures.
Eddy still attends regular medical checkups and testing but, as of now, no cancer has returned. Throughout the whole process of her diagnosis, procedures, and treatment, those close to Eddy — including the members of Calvary Baptist Church in Magnolia — showed great support. The congregation held multiple fundraisers and events in efforts to help Eddy and her family make it through their time fighting cancer.
“What they did was wonderful,” said Eddy. “My family and I were so thankful for everything they did. They’re just great folks.”
Today, Eddy looks back on the past two years with a sense of humor and gratitude. She said that she learned what was important in life and what was not. She also began volunteering with Relay For Life of Columbia County to help raise money for the fight against cancer.
“I am so fortunate to be where I am today,” said Eddy. “After you go through that kind of stuff, it pretty much puts everything in perspective. Things I used to worry about, I simply don’t care about anymore. My family was there for me every step of the way and, without them, I don’t know if I could have made it. At a certain point, you just realized it’s God’s will. There was something very calming about that. I guess He just wasn’t ready for me yet.”
To learn more about Relay For Life or to donate, call Event Chair and Coordinator Rosalind Howell at 870-234-1825. The upcoming Columbia County Relay For Life Cancer Walk will take place from 6 p.m. until midnight on Friday, May 5, at Magnolia High School’s Panther Stadium. Registration for the event will take place 5-6 p.m.