An inspirational story: Angel Adams

Early detection is key – Angel’s story

My name is Angel Adams, and I am a breast cancer survivor.  

At age 42, I found a lump during a self-exam. I have performed routine self-exams and have gone for yearly mammograms since I was 39 years old. I have no family history of breast cancer, and my genetic testing was negative.  

I was treated by Dr. McKnight (the man who saved my life) and all my treatment was through TidalHealth. I received two phases of chemo (13 total), immunotherapy Keytruda, surgery for lumpectomy and lymph node dissection, along with 28 days of radiation. I was diagnosed in April 2023, and I had my last Keytruda treatment on June 25, 2024. My total treatment time was about 15 months.

I strongly believe that early detection is key! I would much rather know while I still have a fighting chance and not have to wonder what if or to choose quality of life over quantity. The unknown can be scary but early detection can be a matter of life or death.

Awareness is very important! I believe very strongly in getting preventive screening done. I would rather have the option of making an informed decision and not being left to wonder if I had only done this sooner, I could have a different prognosis. The years I had my screenings done and everything was fine, gave me peace of mind.

I have worked as Dr. Kim’s medical assistant at TidalHealth Primary Care in Laurel for 10 years. I know our patients very well and have always stressed the importance of screening for all health maintenance. Since my journey began, I have been able to get more of our patients to complete screenings by sharing my experience and how things could have been different for me had I skipped one or two years of a simple mammogram.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I am a very giving person and love Christmas. I love wrapping gifts, making bows and baking cakes.

Life is short and we never know what plan God has for our lives. I believe that God has used my diagnosis to help our patients see the importance of getting preventative screenings done, so we can help save lives. I have always felt very passionate about this and I'm sure our patients would agree but this has given me an even stronger passion to want to help people understand the importance.

Cancer taught me that life is short and can change in an instant. Live for today because there is no promise for tomorrow. Trust God's plan and His timing. Focus on the positive and be thankful.