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Since 2002, the Executive Women’s Club has hosted the annual Baubles and Beads event to fundraise for the organization’s breast cancer patient assistance fund and encourage fellowship between patients and survivors. This year’s event welcomed keynote speakers Kari Potter and Ryan Pendergraft to share their perspectives navigating life through multiple cancer diagnoses.
The “Evening in Venice” theme welcomed guests with a grandiose Italian scenery, complete with elaborate foliage, mood lighting, and a live orchestral performance. Door prizes, silent auction entries, and a James Avery jewelry pull kept attendees busy before the catered dinner arrived.
Beads and Baubles invites breast cancer survivors from the community to be recognized for their resilience, one survivor in attendance, Danielle Waters, describes the importance of peer support in the battle against cancer.
“It’s been really surreal, since I was so young. I was 33 when I was diagnosed and it was just mind-blowing. My daughter’s kindergarten teacher had gone through breast cancer and acted as a mentor to me, which helped tremendously. You’ve got to have that community of people that have been through the same thing as you,” said Waters.
Opening the program with her heart-wrenching yet relatable anecdote was Kari Potter, lifelong Hill Country resident who has beaten cancer twice. Last year, Potter and her co-founder Kari Short created the Hill Country Breast Cancer Support Group, which has seen incredible growth and empowerment already.
“I don’t really look at my story as anything out of the ordinary. Like many of you here, I was diagnosed with a routine mammogram. I was healthy as a horse, probably a little too healthy. I like to drink beer and eat good, so there’s that,” said Potter.
After finding an abnormality in her routine mammogram, Potter was suggested to get an ultrasound for further information.
“At that moment I wasn’t really alarmed. The ultrasound tech, Cindy Hunter, led me back. As I laid down one tear came running down my cheek. I went from not being emotional to suddenly thinking that this may be a sign of what was to come. Sure enough, both the mammogram and ultrasound showed something in my left breast,” said Potter.
Still, Potter was optimistic that this abnormality would be something benign.
“We thought that it probably was a cyst or something weird, but not cancer. Even my doctor had been so positive. But as we were sitting in the exam room, he walked in and slammed his clipboard down on the table and said, ‘I can’t believe it. It’s cancer.’” said Potter.
For Potter, somehow her bad news seemed to become even bleaker with treatments being non-responsive.
“He told me I was ‘triple-negative’ which means that none of the three biopsy tests responded to any hormone treatments. I went home after falling apart in the car for a good twenty minutes like a blubbering idiot. In complete shock, I pulled myself together for my three kids at home,” said Potter.
After consulting with her friends and family, Potter began to devise her plan to defeat cancer.
“My husband Ross and I prayed a lot about it, and then I consulted with my dear friend Dr. Lisa Rouse who told me to just trust the process. So that’s what I did. I didn’t Google myself to death. I just did it.”
Potter’s positive outlook and connection with her friends and family empowered her throughout the exhausting treatment process, fostering her healthy recovery
“I ended up getting my left breast removed just a couple of weeks later. I had clear margins, was stage one, and no lymph nodes had been affected. Sometime later I was having a CT scan in preparation for chemo that detected an enlargement on my thyroid. I would say that finding my thyroid cancer was a nice bonus of having breast cancer,” said Potter.
Indulging herself with humor in trying times helped provide a sort of respite she hopes to share with other people going through breast cancer.
“I just wanted to say to all of my fellow survivors, I want you to know that none of you are ever alone in this fight. This room is a testament to that. Our support group isn’t formal, we’re just women supporting one another through some of the toughest times a woman can face.”
Reiterating the significance of having a solid support system throughout a cancer treatment, Ryan Pendergraft emphasizes the role and toll his family members undertook after three cancer diagnoses.
Pendergraft has a long history with kidney issues, beginning by having a kidney removed at age two, followed by a Chronic Kidney Disease diagnosis in 2005, and the discovery of a tumor in 2019.
“A biopsy confirmed it was my worst fear and I started my first of three battles with cancer. Or as my mother-in-law, Pam, liked to call the ‘Big C-Monster.’” said Pendergraft.
Pendergraft sought out a surgery to remove the tumor, a treatment which saved his only kidney for just a few weeks.
“My partial kidney that remained struggled to function and I was forced to go on dialysis to stay alive. I was approved for a kidney transplant in March of 2020, which in the process of testing was informed that the renal cancer had spread to my adrenal gland,” said Pendergraft.
Pendergraft received dialysis during the period he had no kidneys, waiting for a transplant to become available. Unfortunately, while waiting for a kidney transplant, followup imaging revealed that Pendergraft also had a cancerous tumor on his thyroid.
“I would have never imagined that I would get a third cancer diagnosis! I am very fortunate that I did not have to endure chemo or radiation. I simply had surgery.”
Pendergraft’s mother-in-law, Pam Laws, was simultaneously going through a grueling cancer treatment, undergoing many chemo and radiation treatments.
“While all this was going on, I was watching my mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with a triple negative, 88 percent growth rate, very aggressive breast cancer, fight for her life. After additional cancer metastases to her spine and lung her precious body gave out. Pam lost her battle with breast cancer and passed away in February of 2023,” said Pendergraft.
Pendergraft’s wife, Kim Pendergraft, supported both her husband and mother through unimaginably chaotic times.
“Kim is my hero. Kim always went the extra mile to make sure her parents were fed, their appointments kept, and their medicines current. All on top of taking care of me. It is not an exaggeration to say that she kept me alive more than once,” said Pendergraft.
“I would like to recognize all of the caregivers here. We do not beat cancer without all of you. Thank you for everything you all do including keeping us going when we sometimes don’t want to. Feeding us, caring for and comforting us, keeping us moving forward and not allowing us to quit,” said Pendergraft.
In an effort to help alleviate some of the stress that comes with fighting cancer, the Executive Women’s Club raises money for the Hope Fund which helps patients cover costs associated with screening and diagnostic mammograms, treatment, medication, travel, and other assistance. For more information about donating to the Hope Fund, visit the Executive Women’s Club website at https://executivewomensclub.org.