CityView Magazine

a means to help those in need as they go through cancer diagnosis. The founda- tion recently received an $800 donation from the Renaissance European Day Spa which gave a portion of spa proceeds during October, national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Brenda Hall, director of Cape Fear Valley Health System’s Cancer Center, calls Graham “a woman on a mission.” “When she learns of a newly diag- nosed patient, she delivers a care pack- age to the patient and offers support and hope and guides them to available resources,” Hall says. “She has also recently received grant monies to spread the word of education, prevention and awareness. She goes out to churches and community events to educate people. She is making an impact on the health care of women in Cumberland County.” Her leadership has served as the I encourage hem, tell them what I’ve been hrough, and try o motivate them o keep fighting, eep trying.” “I encourage them, tell them what I’ve been through, and try to motivate them to keep fighting, keep trying.” -Amanda Lockamy 46|Winter 2008/2009 catalyst for unprecedented faith-based partnerships with both Cape Fear Val- ley and Rex Hospital in Raleigh. With her help, hundreds of uninsured and underinsured women can now receive quality mammograms at no cost. This health advocacy and health awareness ministry is now regarded as a collab- orative model for miscellaneous health initiatives in cities such as Detroit and other states like Florida and Maryland. “I believe I was diagnosed so that I could help others,” the associate minis- ter said. “I preach a sermon where I tell others that detours do not change desti- nations. I believe it was God’s will that I help others this way.” ‘Keep fighting, keep trying’ Amanda Lockamy always wanted to be a teacher working with children who have special needs, so she was happy when she got a job after college teach- ing exceptional children at Cape Fear High School. But that same month, Sep- tember 2001, her world and her plans changed forever. In her first month as a teacher, Lock- amy received a diagnosis that turned her into a person with special needs herself. Multiple sclerosis is a condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. People with MS suffer from different degrees of disabil- ity, but Lockamy knew she might have problems continuing as a teacher. And then one day, she had trouble writing on the overhead projector. “My students noticed that I was hav- ing trouble holding my pen,” she said. “I knew that I probably wasn’t going to be able to contine to teach.” So Lockamy, who is now 31, made the decision to go back to school and learn to be a high school guidance counselor. She will finish her degree next Decem- ber. She is working as a counselor now at Douglas Byrd High School and uses her experience to help the students there. “When a kid comes to me and tells me they can’t do something, I try to re- late my experience to them,” she says. “I encourage them, tell them what I’ve been through, and try to motivate them to keep fighting, keep trying.” Lockamy, who used to actively work out and taught classes for Weight Watch- ers, now finds her physical disabilities to be a huge handicap. “I had to learn that it was OK to ask people for help,” she said. “I had to learn that it was OK to accept that help.” For one, an aide helps her take notes in her classes at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. “The biggest change is the fatigue factor,” she says. “I get tired so easily now.” But Lockamy is planning a skiing trip in December, something she has not done since she was diagnosed. She says it is something she has to try. Lockamy recently lost one of her big- gest cheerleaders. Her father, Bobby Lockamy, died after a long illness. She says she learned a lot from him. But she still gets support from her mother, Linda. Mother and daughter are active in the local Eastern North Carolina MS chapter, helping organize fundraisers and promoting awareness about mul- tiple sclerosis. “She worries more about me than I do,” Lockamy says. “I tell her not to cry. But we sometimes cry together.”CV

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