City of Hope Atlanta honors breast cancer survivors and the moments they fought to reclaim

For Lucy Gibbs, surviving breast cancer is measured not only by finishing treatment, but by the everyday moments she is still here to experience.

Football games. Practices. Work. Time with her husband and three children. Even making sure her 13-year-old son's football team has Gatorade and pickles.

"I want to be there and be present as much as possible in life," Gibbs said.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins in October, Gibbs is sharing the journey that brought her to a breast cancer survivorship event at City of Hope Atlanta in Newnan.

Gibbs was one of five breast cancer survivors recognized during the event.

Her journey began with a lump she discovered during a self-examination.

"I actually found the lump on my own," Gibbs said.

Her sisters encouraged her to get it checked immediately. A mammogram showed something suspicious, and a biopsy later confirmed cancer.

Gibbs was diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive invasive ductal carcinoma. Cancer was later found in a lymph node, and her diagnosis was classified as Stage 2.

"Finding out that I had cancer was very scary," Gibbs said. "It took a day or two to really find the strength to be able to talk about it."

Gibbs underwent surgery, followed by four months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation. She said she finished that phase of treatment around December 2025.

In January, Gibbs underwent surgery to remove her ovaries because her cancer was hormone receptor-positive. She said she continues to take daily medication to suppress hormones and expects to remain on the medication for five years.

During chemotherapy, Gibbs used cold capping to help reduce hair loss. She said keeping her hair helped her maintain a sense of normalcy throughout treatment.

"That made me feel more like myself every single day," Gibbs said.

Her husband, Chad, also became an important part of navigating the diagnosis.

"My husband was there the next day with a whole plan of how we were going to fight this," Gibbs said.

She remembers waking up the morning after learning she had cancer and finding a table covered with documents outlining a plan for their family.

"It was just reassuring to me that everything was going to be OK," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said maintaining as much normalcy as possible was especially important for her children. She continued working throughout her cancer journey and remained involved in her family's daily life.

Those ordinary moments now carry greater meaning.

"I'm grateful that I can still go to my son's football games," Gibbs said. "I'm making sure I go to the practices and give the team their Gatorade and their pickles."

At the survivorship event, Gibbs also reunited with LaKeitha Rousseau, a registered nurse who helped care for her.

Rousseau is a cancer survivor herself.

Their relationship has grown beyond nurse and patient. Gibbs thanked Rousseau for caring for her during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

"I'm so blessed to have you in my life," Gibbs told Rousseau. "You are so important to me and I treasure you."

Rousseau told Gibbs the support now goes both ways.

"It's amazing how your patients become my support," Rousseau said.

For Gibbs, the celebration offered a chance to stand alongside other women who understand what it took to reach this point.

"You have to keep living," Gibbs said. "I've got three kids and a job, a husband, a family that loves me. I have to be here. So I have to keep going."

Now, Gibbs can say what she once fought to make possible.

"I'm still here," she said.