Thriving After Surviving: Julie Thornbury’s Story of Strength
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Did you know that there are currently more than four million breast cancer survivors in the United States alone? This includes those who have and are still being treated. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for about 30% of all newly diagnosed female cancers each year. There is a one in eight chance that a woman will develop breast cancer at some point in her life.
Being diagnosed with breast cancer is like being invited to a club that no one ever wants to be in. Julie Thornbury, a native to Boyd County, had her world come to a halt one day while at work. Thornbury had been experiencing some discharge from one of her breasts for a couple of months when she finally decided that it was time to go and get it checked out even though her family had no prior history of breast cancer. Thornbury shared, “Having breast fed three kids, I kind of just ignored it for a while. The longer it stuck around, the more I realized I should get it checked.”
After a visit to the doctor and a plethora of test, Thornbury received that news no one ever wants to hear… you have breast cancer.
“I was working at Ashland Middle School when I got the news. I read my diagnosis to myself in my office and had a quick cry to myself. It was picture day that day, so I went to get my picture made before I allowed myself to cry anymore. The type of cancer I had, did not show up on a normal mammogram. I had to have what is called a galactogram which is a special x-ray exam used to evaluate abnormalities in breast fluid. Had this type of exam not been created, mine would have not been found until it formed into a full tumor,” explained Thornbury.
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ was the official diagnosis that Thornbury received. This is basically breast cancer that has formed within the milk ducts. This type of breast cancer tends to occur in women aged 50-64 years of age and accounts for 20%-25% of all breast cancer diagnosis within the United States. Thornbury handled her diagnosis with dignity and grace. After being asked what was going through her mind at the time of diagnosis, this is what she had to say, “Honestly, I was upset, but felt a peace which sounds crazy. I knew that all things are in the Lord's hands, and I truly believed that He would see me through this.”
November of 2022, Thornbury had a double mastectomy. “Because I chose to remove both breasts, I did not need any form of treatment,” shared Thornbury. She went on to add, “Ultimately, the Lord was by my side through it all. The support shown to me from my family, friends, and community was what got me through some of my hardest days. Our family was blessed with so many meals, gift cards, and words of comfort. I'll never be able to fully repay what everyone did for us during that time,” Thornbury elaborated.
Thornbury has always had a special place in her heart for working with children and had made the decision shortly before she received her diagnosis to go back to school to finish her degree. She shared, “I have worked in the school system for 15 years now and loved every second of it. Working with children in some way was always something I wanted to do. For some reason in college, I questioned whether I should be a teacher or not. When given the chance to work in the schools in other ways, I jumped on it. I have worked with every level at some point now between being a registrar at Boyd County High School, secretary at Summit Elementary, bookkeeper at Ashland Middle School, and now special education teacher at Catlettsburg Elementary. I fell in love with the kids with each opportunity.”
Thornbury is currently thriving as a Special Education Teacher at Catlettsburg Elementary and is also working toward her master’s in education at the same time. Thornbury is the living embodiment of strength, and her story should serve as proof that your life doesn’t have to stop at diagnosis and that you can in fact thrive after you survive.
Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and be not afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song: he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2
