Abington Nurse Battles Back From Breast Cancer

The same year that Abington Health Nurse Linda Glover entered nursing school, she was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, according to the hospital.

She was only 46. The year was 2012.

Glover told the tale of how she battled back herself:

When they diagnosed me, my first thought was, ‘Well, I know with modern technology, I’m not going to die, so let the games begin.’ I wanted to stay in school and get on with treatment. I knew my family at Abington Memorial Hospital would see me through.”

While working and attending classes, Linda underwent a mastectomy. Next came eight rounds of chemotherapy,

Despite the concerns of friends and co-workers, who urged her to cut back on her responsibilities or take a break from school during cancer treatment, Linda persevered. “There was no way I was going to let cancer interfere with my timeline, when I was so close to achieving my dream,” she said.

Glover persevered, however, and refused to give up on school or her battle with cancer.

Linda said her next hurdle – 25 rounds of targeted radiation therapy – tested her ability to remain cheerful.

The final stage of Linda’s recovery included reconstructive surgery using a procedure known as a TRAM flap. During the procedure, (the surgeon) surgically transferred a section of fat, skin, blood vessels, and muscle from the wall of Linda’s lower belly, to her chest to build a new breast mound.

Recovered now, Glover is volunteering to organize Abington Health’s Rosenfeld Cancer Center team for the 25th Annual Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure, to be held on Mother’s Day (May 10, 2015) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For information about how to register for the team, click here.

Photo credit: Abington Health.