When Pat Moore was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, the Belmont community surrounded her with prayers, while her North Mississippi Health Services Primary Care and Cancer Care teams provided expert support.

“I’d like to think I helped a lot of people,” said Pat, now 76, who worked 54 years as a hairdresser before retiring. Still, she was overwhelmed by the crowd of well-wishers when Liberty Church of Christ held a prayer service for her.

“It was unbelievable,” she said.

In January 2023, Pat was diagnosed with occult breast cancer. Accounting for less than 1% of breast cancer diagnoses, occult breast cancer spreads through the body without a detectable primary tumor in the breast.

Unexpected Journey

Pat’s cancer journey started with sharp pain under her arm in November 2022. The next day she was just sore but made an appointment with her primary care team at Belmont Family Medical Clinic.

“I decided I’d better (go to the clinic); it was not normal,” Pat said. “I was so proud I did.”

Concerned that Pat had multiple swollen lymph nodes under her arm, Belmont Family Medical Clinic nurse practitioner Chelsea Wells referred her to the North Mississippi Medical Center Breast Care Center in Tupelo. In January, she had a biopsy that revealed occult breast cancer. A PET scan indicated the cancer had spread from the lymph nodes to her bones.

Stage IV, also called metastatic cancer, isn’t considered curable, but it can respond to treatment. The Cancer Care team led by oncologist Dr. Usman Khan developed a plan to treat Pat’s cancer.

“Dr. Khan has been very good,” Pat said.

Because she had a rare cancer, Pat and her husband, Jerry, decided to get a second opinion at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

“They told me what Dr. Khan had put me on is exactly what I needed to be on,” Pat said.

Her treatment has included Verzenio, an oral chemotherapy treatment for hormone-positive metastatic breast cancer, and a hormone blocker. She has just finished an infusion treatment focused on strengthening her bones.

The Cancer Care team and the Belmont Family Medical team helped her work through the issues that came during her first year of treatment including dehydration, colds and treatment side effects.

Her most recent scans and blood work show no detectable signs of cancer. Her medical team will continue to monitor and treat her cancer.

“I’m doing great,” Pat said. “I feel good. It shows my medication is working.”

Savoring Life

Over the past two years, Pat has celebrated milestones big and small.

She and Jerry celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2024. They enjoy spending time with their sons, Scotty and Todd, granddaughter and her husband, Taylor and Andrew Anderson, and great-grandsons, Kasen and Kolt Anderson.

She still handles a few haircuts for family and a few friends in her kitchen but enjoys not being held down to a regular schedule of standing appointments. She spends as much time outdoors as possible, tending the garden beds around her house and traveling.

“Usually, we go to the mountains two to three times a year,” Pat said. “We love to travel.”

It’s alarming to hear you have metastatic cancer, Pat said. In the beginning, she anticipated the worst-case scenario.

“I thought I was ready to go,” Pat said. “I thought this was probably going to be my time.”

Her friends and family, including her siblings, Jerry Lindsey and Tammy Lee, rallied around her. She leaned on other breast cancer survivors. As her treatment succeeded, she gradually realized she had more time left.

“It’s just not my time right now; I’m going to fight this battle,” Pat said. “I’ve got a lot left here on earth that I can do for other people.”