Cancer survivor: Donna McGrath
In an October issue of Homemakers magazine, three women who braved cancer modeled fall makeup trends. Here's a look at the journeys they were on before posing for our cameras.
Donna McGrath
Donna McGrath vividly remembers that Saturday in 2005 when something in her bathroom kept brushing against her right breast. When moving the object away, she felt a lump that was later diagnosed as stage-three breast cancer.
Donna didn't allow cancer to control her life. She continued to juggle her job as an esthetician with raising her daughter, Mackenzee. “I didn't want to stop working because then you have time to think,” she says. “My little girl is the one who got me through this. I would always have her in my arms. I healed so fast so I could pick her up.”
Mackenzee was only two when she bravely helped her mother wash her scars following her mastectomy. Donna's husband, Michael, was also unfazed by the scars; he tried his best to make Donna feel good on the inside. When he shaved Donna's head three days after her hair loss began, Michael told his wife she had, “a beautiful head.” As an esthetician, Donna understands the importance of feeling beautiful. She attended the Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) workshop with a friend, and has since applied to volunteer for the organization so she could help women going through cancer treatments. It's a way to get out of the house, which, she says, is important to do. “Go for a walk. Do something. You're going to miss out if you don't. You're going to miss out on life.”
Now 37 and finished her treatment, Donna says she doesn't sweat the small stuff. “I have more important things to do.” First on her priority list: spending time with family. This past summer, Donna's family rented a cottage in Wasaga Beach, and they've also taken more family trips to places like Cuba and the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. Donna has lots to look forward to this fall, as she's getting new implants. “I'm going to have something in a t-shirt or bathing suit,” she says excitedly. “We move on.”
Click to continue for Barb Brooks' journey through chemotherapy on the next page..
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