Debbie Powell and Ovarian Cancer: Perseverance and Gifts Along the Way
Deborah Powell, Court Administrator for the 27th Judicial Circuit and ovarian cancer survivor.
Debbie Powell, Court Administrator for the 27th Judicial Circuit, is a confident and courageous woman. Her faith is strong and for most of her 60 years, she has enjoyed excellent health. That changed when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023. Now that she has completed chemotherapy through local cancer care services at Bates County Memorial Hospital, she has a clear vision of what this experience gave her.
“I want to be positive,” Debbie said. “The only time I do get emotional is in the goodness of what has come from this. Not the sadness, not the stress or scariness, but the goodness.”
Ovarian cancer can be sneaky. Debbie had no clear signals something was wrong until January 2023, but the gastrointestinal symptoms she had made her think something was wrong with her gall bladder. In October, the diagnosis of ovarian cancer was a shock.
“I have been on a journey since then,” Debbie said. “It has involved chemotherapy, surgery, more chemotherapy, a whole lot of perseverance through those things, but along with it a whole lot of gifts along the way. And a whole lot of blessings.”
What were some of those gifts?
“It brings you such clarity over what does matter and what doesn’t matter. Things and stuff do not matter. You wake up every day and acknowledge that this is a good day, and you pay attention to the fact that good days matter, and you don’t take them for granted.”
Debbie’s oncology team at Sarah Cannon Cancer Center helped her coordinate a care plan close to home to aid her comfort and convenience during her treatment plan, and that led her to Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH), where she was under the care of oncologist Jaswinder Singh, in collaboration with her gynecological specialists at Sarah Cannon.
Debbie was thrilled to learn she could also complete her chemotherapy at BCMH.
“I did have a perception in my head that I would be going to this big multi-million-dollar state of the art infusion center,” Debbie said. “You get in your mind that it’s going to be shiny, new, high tech, just really great, when in reality that’s not what is great. What’s really great is right here -the private rooms, and the ability to have folks who get to know you really well.”
Debbie Powell with her husband, Brad
This feeling was further underlined for Debbie when she had her port placement, performed in the surgical suites at BCMH with Dr. William Joyce, Jr. On that day, the surgical nurse happened to be a childhood friend, and one of Debbie’s closest friends, so it was a gift that such a friend could be at her side before the procedure and waiting for her when she woke up.
For Debbie, fighting cancer became a group effort, and she never felt alone.
“Your win is everybody’s win. You can see it on their faces and hear it in their voices. I have thought about that a lot, if you get good news, it’s good news for everybody that’s working with you. The win isn’t just for you, it’s for everyone. I feel like today, sitting here, I got a win.”
Debbie’s road to recovery took about five months, with her final chemotherapy treatment on March 18, 2024. She feels the process was, for her, doable, and she wants others to find the strength that she found.
She said, “From the day I was told I had ovarian cancer, I have been filled with a strange calmness, and I’ve never felt like this was the end, I’ve never felt like, ‘you’re not going to make it,’ not one time. I want that to be how other people feel. I want them to know – don’t give up, it will be okay, and you can do it. And very likely, you can do it right here where you can establish a broad circle of friends, and it’s going to be better for you.”
Ovarian cancer is diagnosed most frequently in people over 50, and Debbie turned 60 in March. “After all of this, age no longer matters. Now, every birthday is a gift.”
Are you a caregiver or friend of someone going through cancer treatments? This is a great tip: Debbie said her friend group recorded and sent her an encouraging video the mornings of her “chemo” days, for every single time she went in for chemotherapy.