Douglas Breast Cancer Survivor Sees Miracles Every Day

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. That’s something Dorris Narbut, known to her friends and family as “Vet,” knows all too well. It only took a small lump to change her life.

Narbut recently completed 30 straight days of radiation following a lumpectomy – a surgical treatment for breast cancer. She began a five-year regimen of taking a chemotherapy pill daily. She often feels sick to her stomach. Yet, she spends her days focusing on the good around her.

“When you’re diagnosed with cancer, you see things in a different light,” she said. “I get up every day
and am grateful God gave me another day. Things that may be insignificant to others are little miracles
to me. Oh, the sunrise!”

At first, things were the opposite of miraculous. Before Narbut learned she had cancer, the company she
worked for 20 years closed, leaving her without insurance. A friend helped her get a voucher to have her
annual mammogram at WellStar Douglas Hospital at no cost.

“It showed I had cancer,” she said. “Your mind goes a million different directions. I thought, ‘Oh my God
my life is forever changed!’”

Reeling from a shocking diagnosis, and unsure of how to proceed with treatment, Narbut met with Diane
Austin, a nurse navigator at Douglas Hospital. Austin works with patients to do exactly what her title says
– navigate cancer treatment and the emotions that go with it.

“She helped me get in touch with the right people,” Narbut said. “I wouldn’t have known what to do
without Diane leading me. She is truly an angel.”

Not only did Austin connect Narbut with resources to fund her treatment, she was supportive in other
ways too.

“She explained things to me so I wouldn’t be so scared,” Narbut said. “She knows I have a sense of
humor.”

As she continues her daily chemotherapy, Narbut is taking life day-by-day, relaxing in the garden she
worked 20 years to create. Just last week, she spotted a rare moth that resembles a hummingbird for
the first time in her life. And she was thankful for the chance to experience another one of life’s
miracles.

Photo courtesy WellStar Douglas Hospital