One couple’s love and commitment through impossible-to-imagine circumstances gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘to have and to hold in sickness and in health’.
On top of being diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer, Janice Beecham and her husband of 46 years had to battle through COVID-19 quarantines—but they came out the other side together this week.
On March 25th, with Janice and Robert strictly following all public health guidelines on COVID-19 because of Janice’s cancer, Robert called his son and decided to go to the doctor to take a COVID-19 test at his son’s urging, as he had not been feeling well in the preceding week.
He was admitted to the Parkland Hospital in Dallas, received his positive test, but recovered shortly after, despite having already suffered two strokes this decade.
One of the strokes had kept him from celebrating an anniversary with his wife, and he didn’t want it to happen a second time.
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Robert’s doctor would eventually concoct a plan to get the devoted husband out of the hospital and home to visit his wife, a plan he thought would keep him on the right road to recovery because his love for Janice was obviously a healing force in his life.
Against the odds
Arriving home for their wedding anniversary, Robert Beecham discovered that Janice, who had undergone invasive surgery for breast cancer only a month before, had already tested positive for both COVID-19.
Further complicating things, her breast cancer returned, and Janice could not start chemotherapy as a treatment for any cancer until her COVID-19 convalescence was finished, which might allow time for the cancer to further spread.
“Once I got home, and we did the quarantine, I was getting progressively better but Janice still had issues with her health,” Robert told CNN.
But they are best friends, who helped each other through it.
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Thanking God, as one can only do it such a situation, the high school sweethearts have finished quarantines, surgeries, and chemo, are now COVID-19 and cancer-free.
CNN reports, “Janice still has preventative radiation coming up, but the two said they are blessed to be alive and blessed to have celebrated another year together.”
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