Patti Perry is dealing with her second bout with cancer.
/ Lisa Edge
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WPDE) - In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Hard Rock Cafe is reaching out to help a woman dealing with the disease.
In April 2011, Patti Perry of Little River was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. Perry says the cancer was very aggressive and doctors began treatment immediately, "It was a quick thing where I had to hurry and get a radical mastectomy on the right side. Had to get a portacath and start chemo. I did 8 rounds of chemo. I did 33 rounds of radiation."
Perry later celebrated going into remission, but earlier this year she got bad news.
"I thought I'd conquered this beast and I even did a mastectomy on the other side because the type of breast cancer that I have is so aggressive to come back as well as come back in your ovaries and so I was trying to be ahead of the game and go ahead and have that done," she explains.
Perry's cancer was not only back, it had spread to her lungs. She also had a hysterectomy. Despite the circumstances, she remains upbeat. Perry says she leans on her faith and family including her 15-year-old son.
"Kind of been through it, but I'm staying positive through all of it because mind over matter. I feel like you can truly beat it if you stay ahead of the game as well as you stay positive about it," she adds.
Perry encourages women to get tested for the breast cancer gene. "Please, please if you have anyone in your family that has ever had breast cancer, please ask your doctor about getting tested for that gene. Because if it is positive or mutated, you have a very high chance of getting breast cancer and had I known that years ago I would've been more proactive and been tested."
Hard Rock Cafe held a concert Friday night and collected donations for Perry to help her pay for treatment at Duke University Medical Center. Another concert is being held Saturday as well.
If you'd like to make a donation you can stop by Hard Rock Cafe at Broadway at the Beach.
