Hi, my name is Teddy Powers and I’m from Pound, Virginia. I was born and raised on Bold Camp and built my family on Bold Camp, too. I’ve worked in the mines for 32 years, raised horses all my life, and hunted on and off for as long as I can remember. One thing I never expected was to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I started having some of the typical symptoms, but kept denying anything was wrong. I had just turned fifty and hadn’t had a colonoscopy before. My family finally talked me into seeing Dr. Breeding and he immediately sent me for a colonoscopy and all kinds of tests. When I got the news, I found out it was stage 3 colorectal cancer. I wasn’t sure what to do or what it meant. MCHC talked to me like I was somebody and made it all make more sense. Dr. Breeding sent me to colorectal specialists, I began radiation treatment, and now I’m finishing up my chemotherapy treatments. I can’t thank Dr. Breeding and MCHC enough for all they’ve done for me and my family. If I could do it over again, I would’ve asked about prevention earlier and would have been more committed to getting all recommended screening tests.
Pictures courtesy of: Malcolm J. Wilson
