North Texan helps raise awareness, funds for breast cancer research in memory of her daughter
DALLAS - A North Texas woman has special inspiration behind her push to raise awareness about breast cancer.
After fighting her own battle, she lost her daughter to the same disease.
Diann Smith is a health care executive and breast cancer survivor.
Smith’s daughter, Deetra Horne, began the same battle with breast cancer four years later.
Her outcome, however, was not the same.
"She was funny, she loved people, she loved friends, and even down to her celebration of life, it was like ‘Mom, I don’t want anybody sad. I want everybody happy,’" Smith recalled.
Shortly after her 40th birthday in 2017, Horne passed away.
Smith’s and Horne’s journeys, as far as the type of breast cancer and stage of detection, were very different.
"As her treatment progressed and they removed both breasts and they found the breast cancer in both breasts, it was two different types," Smith said.
For Horne, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation followed.
"As soon as she finished radiation, I think it was a nine-month journey for her on that piece. She started having other symptoms and it had metastasized to the brain," Smith said.
Video of Smith’s daughter in physical therapy was recorded after doctors stated they’d done all they could for her, yet still, she was determined to walk again, which she was able to do.
She also traveled, learned to ride a motorcycle, and made beautiful memories with family and friends.
Featured
‘Missing’ cancer cases: New diagnoses dropped more than 14% early in pandemic
Study findings suggest stay-at-home orders delayed cancer diagnoses
Despite her grief, Smith now works to raise funds for research through the American Cancer Society and helps others in her daughters' memory.
"It has made me an advocate for women who have breast cancer who may be on the journey, beginning that journey," she said. "I don’t want people to forget her. She lived and she gave, it really it was an honor for me to be her mother because, the way I see it, I was there for her first breath and I was there for her last."