Surviving and Striving
Charmaine Mullin is an Army Veteran in the middle of the fight of her life.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2022, Mullin is undergoing treatment at the Houston VA and says she made a decision early on to take control of her cancer journey and battle through her diagnosis her own way.
“Every day I get up, thank God and push through,” she said. “Surviving and striving is my motto.”
Navy Veteran, Guy Cowden agrees. Cowden, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2020, said he was initially taken aback by the diagnosis but now counts his blessings.
“Before my diagnosis I had never known another man who had breast cancer,” he said. “Now I start each day with gratitude and am thankful that I have another day to try and make the world a better place.”
Mullin and Cowden were among several Veterans who shared their personal stories of hope and survival at a Breast Cancer Awareness event held at the Houston VA on October 10th. VA staff and Veterans from all eras gathered to celebrate cancer survivors.
“Cancer treatment is a journey and at the VA we are committed to helping and supporting our Veterans from diagnosis and then through treatment and on to surveillance,” said Dr. Christy Chai, Assistant Chief of Surgery at the Houston VA. “We put the Veteran in the driver’s seat of their own cancer journey but we are there with them every step of the way…..we are all in this together.”
Cutting her waist-length dreadlocks and dying her hair green was one of the first things Mullin says she did to take control of her own cancer fight.
“My hair was my crown and glory but I knew I had to buckle up for this fight,” she said. “I come to the VA every week and the chemo nurses have been phenomenal……they really care about patients and keep our spirits high.”
Educating other men about the risks of breast cancer is important to Cowden and something positive he likes to focus on.
“My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and the doctor immediately warned my sister about an increased risk of getting breast cancer,” he said. “Sadly, that same message wasn’t relayed to her sons. I even had a hard time finding a breast cancer support group for men. Getting the word out to male Veterans is critical.”
According to Chai, an Air Force Veteran herself, Houston VA is working hard to meet an overall increase in the number of Veterans diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Women Veterans are our fastest growing population of Veterans here in Houston,” she said. “Statistically, women Veterans are diagnosed with cancer at a higher rate than non-Veterans. We take great pride in offering state-of-the-art cancer care to each and every Veteran who needs it.”