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When doctors diagnosed Darcel Fahy with ovarian cancer in June, the 25-year-old Reels Corner, Somerset County, woman was devastated.
“I was shocked and I was crushed,” she said.
But she didn’t stay that way for long.
“I won’t let this beat me,” she said when she received her diagnosis on June 29.
That spontaneous statement has become her battle cry in her fight to beat her cancer and to raise money to help others afflicted with the disease.
She underwent surgery in June to remove a mass of what doctors thought was endometriosis, a disease of the mucous membrane lining the uterus. Instead, the surgery revealed that Fahy had ovarian cancer. A hysterectomy was performed that removed most of the cancer.
She now is undergoing an
18-week series of chemotherapy treatments at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh that are scheduled to be completed over Christmas.
Fahy and her husband, Michael, have started a website – www.wontletthisbeatme.com – which contains information and support for those fighting cancer. They also are using the site to spearhead fundraising.
The Fahys are selling shirts and wristbands inscribed with “Won’t Let This Beat Me.”
At the end of August, donations totaled just more than $4,000.
Proceeds benefit the Washington, D.C.-based Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
There is no sure first detection procedure to find ovarian cancer, said Georgi Morales, alliance director of marketing and communications.
“There is no mammogram like for breast cancer,” Darcel said.
But recognizing the cancer’s symptoms are vital nevertheless, she said. Leading symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination.
Pelvic exams, blood tests and ultrasounds are ways doctors find the cancer.
Ovarian cancer has been called the “silent killer” because many times it is not caught until it is too late, Darcel said.
“Fortunately, mine was caught early,” she said.
She is able to remain as upbeat as she can in her cancer fight because “I’m here and I’m alive,” she said.
Both Fahys are Somerset County employees.
Darcel currently is on medical leave. Michael also operates his own business, Data Systems Associates. Data Systems is involved in website design and other computer-related projects.
Darcel is a 2002 graduate of Shade High School, Cairnbrook, and a 2006 graduate of Shippensburg University with a degree in psychology.
Michael is a 2001 graduate of Shanksville-Stonycreek High School and a 2005 graduate of Pitt-Johnstown with a degree in computer science.
“He (Michael) has been the most supportive person in the world for me,” Darcel said.
Darcel loves to play volleyball and played the sport in high school. She was an assistant volleyball coach at Shanksville-Stonycreek High School for one year.
She enjoys photography and has done some portraits as a hobby, she said.
For the immediate future though, Darcel said, with determination in her voice, “I’m dedicated to beating my ovarian cancer.”
She noted that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
In the Spotlight
Related Photos
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Darcel Fahy, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June, started a cancer awareness website with help from her husband, Michael. Dave Lloyd
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Fahy, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments, relaxes on the deck of her Reels Corner home. Dave Lloyd
Discussion
‘I won’t let this beat me’
Somerset Co. woman wages battle against ovarian cancer
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