Three times may be the charm for a lot of things, but for Valerie Toles, it means one simple thing: she’s a survivor.
The 56-year-old from Flint is not only a three-time cancer survivor, but has lost her father and brother to bone cancer and pancreas and liver cancer as well. She figured she had it beat, having been disease-free for the past 11 years. However, cancer came back in 2014.
Today, RMI is an integral part of Valerie’s care, providing the exams necessary to her ongoing health care. Besides crediting her own cheerful disposition and and inner strength, Valerie gives high marks to RMI’s care. She has been a patient here since 2000.
“My experience has been wonderful – I’ve always been treated with love,” she said. “RMI always treats me well, and (the technicians) compliment me.”
Surviving all that she has, Valerie says, means she has a mission. During her earlier rounds fighting breast cancer, she ran a survivor group appropriately titled “Faith, Hope and Love” for seven years at the Sylvester Broome Center in Flint. Today, with another round of cancer to fight, she is hoping to write a book about her life while attending support groups at area hospitals.
For Valerie, survivors need to give hope to newly diagnosed patients fighting cancer.
“We give hope to other cancer survivors,” she said. “We’re still standing by the grace of God.”
