A Reason to Shave My Head

This is my mom Ruby.  She has stage 2b Triple Negative breast cancer.  She was diagnosed in April of 2014.  Since then she has undergone a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and will begin radiation in the near future.  I am trying to raise money to help her with her medical costs.  She does have insurance, but unfortuately they don't cover everything.  The bills are starting to come in and she is not able to work at this time.  She has been out of work since this has all started.  My mom is an awesome person.  She has been an inspiration to many and I just want to be able to help give back to her.  Here is an article written about her:


 Breast cancer survivor Ruby Hoyhtya chats with Kris Posner, Breast Health Navigator at Lakewood Health Systems


My hair was thinning on one side, so when I was told I had breast cancer, it gave me a good reason to shave my head," said Ruby Hoyhtya, of Wadena. It's that kind of honest, positive thinking that makes Hoyhtya an inspiration to not only those going through breast cancer, but those of us who aren't.

"There was a moment after I'd been diagnosed when I thought, 'Part of me wants to have cancer, and part of me doesn't'; who thinks like that? The part of me that didn't want cancer is what most people can relate to, but the part that did was harder to understand. I want to be a testament to God, and show people how powerful faith can be," Hoyhtya said.

It's that faith, in God, herself and the medical staff at Lakewood Health System in Staples, which has helped Hoyhtya on the life-altering journey she started in January, 2014.

Her last mammogram had been in December, 2010, and though she regrets her decision now, she repeatedly ignored the yearly reminders to schedule an appointment. Then in January, Hoyhtya found a lump. "I'd been doing more exercise recently, and I thought it was just a by-product from that. Plus, I had no history of breast cancer in my family, so I didn't give it a second thought."

After mentioning the lump to her friends at Bible study in March, who told her to go in as soon as possible, she scheduled a mammogram for the beginning of April.

A week after having both a mammogram and an ultrasound, she had a biopsy, and on April 25, her provider, Physician Assistant Amy Winkels, called to tell her she had breast cancer. "After hearing I had breast cancer, my daughter immediately told me I needed to go to the Mayo Clinic, but I said no. I didn't want the hassle and stress, and I had faith in everyone here [at Lakewood]," Hoyhtya said.

Cancer of any kind takes its toll on all aspects of a person's life; it is mentally, emotionally and physically draining and often debilitating. During her journey, Hoyhtya has broken down only once.

"I was bending over to pick up one of my grandchildren's toys, and I started to cry. I didn't like the idea of what this could do to them," she said. "But then I thought, 'A lot of people go through life without grandparents', so that changed my perspective. I have to stay strong for my family, and I thank God for everything because I don't know how people have hope otherwise."

"I could be down in the dumps, expecting everyone to pity me, but that's not who I am. And if I can do anything to help anyone, whether that means listening to their story, or telling them mine, or going with them to try on wigs after they've started their treatments, I'm more than happy to do so."

Hoyhtya said she also wants to encourage women to get any lumps checked out, and get a yearly mammogram.

"After I finally went in, I had 32 lymph nodes removed, and three were cancerous," she said. "I kept putting off getting checked, and I don't know if they would have caught it earlier had I gone in sooner or not, but if there's a chance they might have, it's worth it."