TxDOT breast cancer survivor encourages others to stay vigilant about health

Atlanta — Donna Barnes heard terrible news around four years ago, when the construction recordkeeper for TxDOT in the Atlanta area was diagnosed with stage two invasive ductal carcinoma which was ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative.

 “I had let my gynecologist retire on me, and I didn’t have a mammogram for two years,” Barnes said.

When Barnes finally found another physician and scheduled her routine mammogram, they discovered breast cancer. Barnes soon had a right mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy. Today, she is cancer-free.

Barnes reflects on the love that she felt from her TxDOT family the day of her surgery. Her sister had made signs of support and had taken them to Barnes’ coworkers for photos. On the day of Barnes’ surgery, her social media page was flooded with encouragement.

“All these pictures of support and all this love that I felt on the day of my surgery; there was just no better feeling to have the support and love displayed like that was,” Barnes said. “TxDOT truly is your family, they were there for me, they prayed for me. It’s such a special place to be, to have coworkers that care about you like that.”

Barnes encourages others to be their own advocate, advice she hopes others will take to heart.

“If you have questions,” Barnes said, “it’s your responsibility to ask those questions and get answers and keep seeking until you feel good about your treatment.”