Self-employed, single mother still recovering from effects of breast cancer

By Monica Green/features@trcle.com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Times-Review will feature breast cancer survivors each Monday of the month.

When Leigh Anne Honaker found a lump in her breast, she immediately went to the doctor.

“I did yearly mammograms,” the Cleburne woman said, “but I found the lump on my own.”

She was 44 at the time, and her life changed forever in that moment.

“My kids did not take it that well,” she said. “It was a real struggle.”

Honaker has two children and is raising a great-niece. She also has a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.

She faced the battle as a self-employed, single mother.

“I had to quit work because it ended up I had chemo brain real bad, and I couldn’t work if I wanted to because I couldn’t get my thoughts straight,” she said. “I’m a hairdresser. Working wasn’t much of an option.”

Without work, money for treatments was hard to come up with.

“Well I was one of the ones that did not have insurance so that was kind of a struggle but by the grace of God I was blessed with Dr. Trey Webb, Dr. Kent Hughes and Dr. Pot Luri,” she said. “Between those three I was able to have my biopsy and my mastectomy.

“I will have to say Walls Regional Hospital too. Without them I couldn’t have done it either. They all pulled together and helped me get my biopsy and mastectomy at no charge or very minimal.”

Luri led Honaker to a Medicaid program called Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention.

“I tell everyone about this program,” she said. “It has taken me through the rest of my journey for health insurance reasons.”

Honaker went through two chemotherapy treatments.

“The first one was the normal chemo, and the second one was the last resort, no other option chemo,” she said.

After chemotherapy, she spent seven weeks in radiation, finishing in October 2008.

“I tried to go back to work that October,” she said. “Just physically it was a very slow start. Mentally it was a very slow start. I got up doing pretty good, but with the economy I couldn’t afford to pay a lease so I had to quit.”

She plans to begin working again soon.

“My best friend is opening a salon and helping me get back on my feet, which is a godsend,” she said. “We’re hoping to open Tuesday.”

The salon, LaBelle Áme, is located at 212 S. Main St.

Now 46, Honaker is gradually easing back into her routines.

“It’s not back to normal,” she said. “I’m just a year out of radiation, so I got a little ways to go. I would say I’m about 75 percent back — mindwise too.”

“I got lymphedema in my arm. That will keep me from being able to be 100 percent in my profession.”

Honaker said the hardest part is when the treatments are over.

“When it’s over, everyone thinks it’s over, when it’s not really for us,” she said. “You have all the testing to make sure it’s not back. It’s not ever over.”

Another hard part is the body recovering, she said.

“That physically has been the hardest for me,” she said. “When you’re self employed, and you have no spouse, and you’re the only income, and you have to bounce back — you can’t do it without friends.”

Friends and support groups helped her through the struggle.

“I joined the American Cancer Society support groups,” she said. “They were wonderful in helping out. We did Relay For Life, and we all had our own shirts. There were probably 30 or 40 of us.”

She said she has also met many people since who have had it.

“I was going through it with two people I know, and they both passed away. That was difficult,” she said. “When Stephanie [Huffman] passed I was freaking out, thinking ‘Am I going to be that person?’ ”

She advocates for breast cancer awareness with people she meets and through work.

“You never know what people are going through until you’ve been through it yourself. It’s been a huge impact,” she said. “Mainly while I was sick and bald-headed, I was able to really advocate because people would approach me about it. I was able to share a lot of information, especially about the health care program.

“I advocate a lot through my work and talking about it. Two customers have ended up going and getting mammograms and found out they have lumps. With the mastectomy and reconstruction, people always want to talk about that. I’m hoping with this new business we’re opening we can really push for breast cancer awareness.

“People have got to be aware and get early diagnosis and do something about it. That’s what I’ve learned, never wait.”