'Catch it early:' Detection gives couple chance to fight cancer together

Surviving breast cancer often hinges on early detection through recommended screening. From a young age, 73-year-old Karen Smith of Broadway in Harnett County was aware of her risk of the disease.

"Cancer runs rampant in my family," said Smith. That’s why she was careful to follow recommended breast cancer screening.

She said, "When my oldest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, my first call was to my doctor to set up a baseline mammogram."

In 2016, lymph node biopsies revealed early-stage cancer. Her doctor recommended 84 days of radiation therapy but, thankfully, no chemotherapy. "I was just truly, truly lucky. I really was," said Smith.

She says her family’s support through the experience was invaluable. "I mean, I have my other sister, my daughter, my son, my husband. It really does make a difference."

Karen’s husband, Bob, was her closest source of support, even when he had to break the news of his own health issue. He said, "I told my wife I have cancer and she said, 'Oh, my God!'"

Bob Smith's prostate cancer was detected early, when it is most treatable. "We found out almost within weeks of each other, and we both were able to help each other," said Karen Smith.

Now the Smiths want their own two children to be just as aware of their cancer risk as they age. "It’s good to be aware," said Bob Smith. "I think that’s the bottom line. Catch it early."