 TOLEDO, Ohio (09-08-17) — How do you celebrate being a cancer survivor? If you’re Sgt. 1st Class Wendy Hernandez, you rappel off the side of a 16-story building wearing a blue tutu.
Hernandez took the leap as part of fundraiser for a nonprofit organization in Toledo that helps cancer patients and their families.
“The only time I felt a little nervous was actually climbing over the railing. Once we started our rappel, all that nervousness went away and it was actually a lot of fun,” she said of the experience.
Hernandez is the readiness NCO (noncommissioned officer) for the Ohio Army National Guard’s 1483rd Transportation Company in Walbridge, Ohio. In September 2016, she woke up from minor surgery and found out she had stage 4 colon cancer.
“It felt surreal, like I was being told that someone else had cancer. I initially chose to put it in the back of my mind and forget about it while I was recuperating from what was supposed to be a minor surgery,” she said.
Reality sunk in when her oncologist laid it out for her — aggressively fight the disease or she would lose the battle. She decided to fight because “I’ve always been a fighter.”
She credits her Army National Guard Family for helping her in the fight against cancer. From visits in the hospital, to phone calls and notes of encouragement, she’s benefitted from support at all levels.
“I’ve had no less than 50 doctor’s appointments since my cancer journey began and I’ve been able to go to every one without any issues arising from my higher command,” Hernandez said.
While in the hospital, a nurse handed her a flyer for The Victory Center. There, Hernandez joined a support group that’s become like another family for her. And she jumped at the chance to help with the center’s Over the Edge for Victory fundraising event as a way to “give back and support my community.” She collected the donations needed to be one of 80 people who rappelled off the Toledo Edison building.
Hernandez joined the Ohio National Guard in 2000, and her service has included a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011-2012. She had planned to deploy again in 2017 until her cancer diagnosis made her change priorities. She’s currently studying to become a veterinarian technician and plans to retire from the National Guard in December 2018.
“I’m surviving today because of my doctors and the support I’ve received from my Family, friends and my Military Family,” Hernandez said. “I’m not completely out of the woods yet, but I am surviving and a colon cancer warrior.” |
