LeVonya Davis is a breast cancer survivor with an empowering story that was painful yet infused with beauty, hope, and miracles.
“My mother, Marcella, is my miracle,” LeVonya said. “I believe that God shined his light through her and strengthened her to take care of me.”
When LeVonya was 38, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and then a few months later, LeVonya herself was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
“During this time, guess who the caregiver was between my mother and me?” LeVonya asked. “If you guessed my mom, you were right. It’s something about a mother’s love for their child that transcends any circumstance.”
LeVonya said her mom, who is also a cancer survivor, dug deep into her faith system and in their darkest moments relied on “walk in your resolve to live.”
“My mom’s resolve was the desire to see her daughter enter remission,” LeVonya said. “And she did not relent until she saw it come to pass. So what’s yours? Identify it, grab onto it in your heart and mind, and use that to continue to walk, fight and win.”
The day LeVonya had a mastectomy was also the day before her mother’s 66th birthday.
“She slept on the hard hospital sofa bed overnight to make sure that I had everything that I needed to be comfortable,” LeVonya said.
LeVonya added that it was her mom that applied both physical and mental bandages in the days that followed having both of her breasts removed.
“And I don’t know about other women, but my breasts meant a lot to me as a young, single, African American woman,” she said. “I felt as though my beauty, and identity as a feminine individual had been torn away. But through my faith, God-given strength, my mom’s unfailing love, the support of my family and friends, and my oncology team, I was able to move into remission.”
Her treatments were aggressive and included hormone therapy which placed her in a premenopausal state. She also experienced a multitude of symptoms that periodically prevented her from being able to walk.
“Throughout my process, I stayed positive, kept positive people close to me, and stood on my unwavering ability to persevere,” she said.
Now 40, LeVonya has been a breast cancer thriver and survivor since May. She still faces a longstanding recovery period which includes hormone, physical, occupational, and mental health therapies, as well as nutritional intelligence.
And her fight against cancer is not stopping with her remission. Levonya continues to fight by sharing her experiences with other survivors, the recently diagnosed, and caregivers at various breast cancer awareness events and rallies.
“To any survivor, thriver, and caregiver that feels like they are alone, God is always with you,” she said. “No matter what stage you are in as a cancer survivor, no matter if you are a caregiver or a supporter, I aim to encourage you to go further by raising awareness, supporting the cause to end breast cancer through donations or as a volunteer, and performing early self-checks and cancer screenings. To young people, both men and women, remember that cancer is ageless. To my African American brothers and sisters, it’s time to end the mindset of ‘I’m not going to the hospital because if I do, I may never leave,’ and embrace early cancer screenings that save lives. I am extremely grateful to have survived this experience and do not have any regrets.”
LeVonya can be reached on her Instagram page and has invited anyone seeking breast cancer advice or support to reach out to her by clicking here.
