Cancer survivor Becky Beavers brings a unique perspective to her role as president of the auxiliary at Piedmont Newton Hospital. After the former nurse underwent a double mastectomy, she became more determined than ever to use her knowledge and experiences to benefit others.
Becky Beavers was raised in Alabama, where she was surrounded by a family of nurses. Early on in her nursing journey, she developed a passion for being a resource and educator within the healthcare field. After beginning her career at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, she moved to what is now Piedmont Newton, where her diverse roles included work in the intensive care unit, operating room, emergency room and pediatrics.
Despite her rich clinical experience, Beavers always felt a pull towards education. One of her first projects as a young nurse in Alabama was developing a diabetes teaching program, and she drew upon those efforts when a colleague at Piedmont Newton reached out with a new opportunity. Beavers hesitated but ultimately embraced the role of director of education in 1996. She played a crucial role in shaping the hospital’s educational landscape over the next 18 years. In January 2012, a routine evening took a dramatic turn.
“It was a Thursday evening, and I had already taken a shower, put on my jammies and I was watching television,” Beavers said. “I just kind of stretched and I thought, ‘What is that?’ I felt a nodule on my right breast. As my hand came across, I thought, ‘That’s not supposed to be there.’”
Beavers knew to call Lisa McWilliams, the director of diagnostic imaging services at Piedmont, and quickly scheduled an appointment. “There is something there,” she was told. An ultrasound and potential biopsy were next. Within a few days, she had an answer. “The pathologist took the specimen back to her office,” Beavers said. “She came back and she told me and my husband that it was cancer and that I needed to talk to a surgeon about [my] options.”
“You don’t volunteer for glory. You don’t volunteer for money. There’s got to be something in your heart that leads you. If you’ve been a volunteer, you know that.”
Becky Beavers
Beavers visited Dr. Steven Whitworth, who asked her to get a breast MRI. At the time, the hospital did not have an open MRI, so she had to travel all the way to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Kennesaw. Subsequently, the auxiliary identified a need to raise money to purchase an open MRI so that people no longer face such obstacles locally. The breast MRI had an unfavorable outcome. It showed that there were multiple foci in both breasts. From her experience as a nurse, Beavers knew that “multiple foci did not automatically mean that it is cancer. It just means there’s something there. It could be nothing. It could be something.”
After many conversations with her husband, they decided she needed to undergo a bilateral mastectomy—also known as a double mastectomy, a surgical procedure that removes both breasts. The surgery was scheduled for early February 2012, just 10 days after her breast cancer diagnosis. The operation went well. The only complication? It was a lengthy surgery due to the fact that she opted to have implants.
“First, they removed the breast and then they looked at the lymph nodes to determine if it had metastasized, and then the plastic surgeon came in to start the reconstruction. Ultimately, I was at very low risk for recurrence within 10 years,” Beavers said. A post-surgery meeting with an oncologist resulted in her only having to take an oral chemotherapy. “I really have to credit my husband for helping me to keep my spirits up. There was a particular time when I was crying, so he came to me and the next thing I knew, I was laughing during my tears.”
After retiring in 2014, Beavers was determined to continue her work through volunteering. She began her new chapter the day after her retirement, driven by a deep commitment to give back to the community that had supported her throughout her career and her battle with breast cancer. Right after her diagnosis, she received a care package from the women’s diagnostic center. It was an undeniably meaningful gesture.
“You look at your life with a different perspective,” Beavers said, “and again, I know that any act of kindness is so magnified to the person going through the chemo.”
Today, Beavers’ role as president of the auxiliary at Piedmont Newton allows her to stay deeply involved in hospital activities and special projects. Her volunteer work includes supporting new mothers, working with the Hope Boutique to provide essential items for cancer patients and reviewing scholarship applications for aspiring healthcare professionals. Beavers values the flexibility volunteering offers, as it allows her to travel with her retired husband while continuing to make a difference.
“You don’t volunteer for glory. You don’t volunteer for money. There’s got to be something in your heart that leads you,” she said. “If you’ve been a volunteer, you know that.”
Beavers shed tears as she shared the impact the support she received from family and friends made during her time of hardship.
“My journey was so uncertain, and that was very difficult to deal with,” she said. “Something could be bad, [but] at least you know it’s bad. If you don’t know, your mind can just take off and wander into very dark places. I attribute my survival to my family, my friends, my healthcare buddies [and] to those who care for me and cared about me, as well.”
Profound resilience and unwavering dedication define Beavers’ story. From her early days as a nurse to her impactful volunteer work, she continues to inspire and advocate for those around her. Her journey underscores the importance of immediate action in health crises and the powerful impact of giving back.
“I’ve seen the patient side. I’ve seen the employee side. I’ve seen the volunteer side,” Beavers said. “When a woman finds a lump in the breast, the best thing to do is to act immediately to do something about it to get it diagnosed or to find out what’s going on as quickly as possible. That increases the possibility of a positive outcome. I acted immediately.”
Click here to read more stories by Wendy Rodriguez.
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