Just last week, Erin Magee stopped wearing wigs and scarves. She calls her new hairstyle, a pixie cut, the "last step."
Last October, Magee was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. Today, she's working her way into remission status.
Magee says that for her, cancer was a matter of 'when' rather than 'if.' She is the daughter of two cancer survivors. Her mother battled colon cancer and her father battled prostate cancer. However, at only 48 years old, her diagnosis came sooner than expected.
In October 2015, four years after her previous colonoscopy, she began to have mild symptoms and decided to schedule another check-up.
After she awoke from the procedure, the doctor told Magee she had a tumor in her colon. A few days and tests later, she found out that the tumor was not only cancer, but had spread to her liver.
"I was so surprised, even being the daughter of two cancer survivors," she said. "I was shocked to have it at age 48."
Magee said that the lead GI specialist at Ohio State's James Comprehensive Cancer Center absolutely insisted that she use Charleston Area Medical Center's Dr. Arun Nagarajan as her oncologist. She credits this as the moment that saved her life.
Only months earlier, CAMC opened its new Cancer Center in Kanawha City. She counts this as another moment of luck and says "if you're going to have chemotherapy, you might as well have it in a bright, open, sun-filled area surrounded by people who truly care about you, your health and your treatment."
Her mother battled the same cancer nine years ago, and her experience helped Magee through the toughest times.
"I'm kind of a tough gal," said Magee. "You do what you have to do to survive."
Magee is a lawyer at the law firm Jackson Kelly, where she's worked for 24 years. She continued to work throughout her treatment to help herself keep a normal routine.
She credits her positive outcome to the support she received from close friends and family and colleagues and was stunned by the support she received from people who were competitors, casual acquaintances and complete strangers.
"West Virginians are a special breed of people and I will spend the rest of my life paying it forward because of the example set for me by the caring people of this region," she said.
Magee promised herself that if she made it through, she would be an advocate for cancer awareness.
Her current diagnosis is called "no evidence of disease" and in six months she will go back to the hospital for testing.
"I want everyone to be aware," said Magee. "I want everyone to go and get their colonoscopy early so it can be caught at a polyp, not stage 4."
After four months of chemotherapy, two hospitalizations and a surgery, Magee's journey has now led her to be the chairwoman of the CAMC Foundation's Run for Your Life 5-mile run and 2.5-mile walk on June 18.
To raise awareness of the disease and funds for cancer screenings, Marina Hendricks, a Charleston native, helped create the fundraiser in 2004, in honor of her late fiance, Jody Jividen, who died of complications from colorectal cancer in August 2002.
Jividen was a longtime Charleston Daily Mail staffer who served as columnist, sports editor and city editor. He was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in March 2002 and died in August of the same year.
Magee was honored when Gail Pitchford, president of the CAMC Foundation, called to ask her to share her story to help raise awareness of colorectal cancer and encourage people to get screenings.
"It's critical that we support CAMC's Cancer Center, its physicians and staff so that we can have quality cancer care locally and so that others in the community also can have positive outcomes," said Magee.
Run for Your Life will be held at 8 a.m. June 18, in conjunction with the Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-off. It begins at Haddad Riverfront Park and takes runners through Charleston, up around the historic Spring Hill cemetery and back to Haddad Riverfront Park. A shorter route is outlined for walkers.
In 2015, more than 430 participants between the ages of 8 to 78 participated in the run and raised more than $72,000 that was used within the Charleston community to provide for education and screening measures for colorectal cancer.
Those interested can register online at TriStateRacer.com. The cost is $30 per participant.
For more information contact Zoltan Povazsay at zoltan.povazsay@camc.org or 304-388-9863. Go to www.tristateracer.com for online registration.
Reach Jennifer Gardner at jennifer.gardner@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5102 or follow @jennc_gardner on Twitter.