South Florida Woman Survives Cancer Once; Now Fighting Again
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Imagine waking up screaming, only to find out no one heard you. Imagine speaking but no one understands a word you said. That's exactly what happened to Geraldine Overton.
She's a South Florida Survivor who proves surviving isn't just a one-time thing, it's a life-long fight that she's facing head-on with positivity and pep.
"It's good news. No news is good news," Geraldine was told at her recent doctor's appointment at Baptist Hospital. And that's exactly what the busy wife, mother, teacher and cheerleading coach wants to hear.
"I love children I love teaching. That's my passion, that's what I do. All day every day," she said. "That's my life. I wouldn't choose any other career."
But her career is on hold right now as she battles brain cancer for the second time.
"I even got a certificate that I was cancer free because after 5 years, you are cancer free. This was 8 years later. I'm at this time again. It was just a shock," she said.
Back in 2007, Geraldine says something wasn't right. She remembers waking up and screaming for her mother, but her mother says she didn't hear her.
Later that day, while having a conversation with her boss, her speech was jumbled.
She went to Baptist Hospital where she was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.
"I cried. I was devastated," Geraldine told CBS4's Lauren Pastrana.
After undergoing brain surgery and chemotherapy, Geraldine was deemed cancer free.
She got married and had a baby. But then last year, she had a familiar feeling.
"I told my mom I can't feel my hands," she said. Geraldine had a seizure and went back to the hospital.
Doctors confirmed her worst fear: the tumor was back.
"Kid just got born, she kind of forgot about the tumor and moved on with her life. And now back again with the same issue. The tumor is aggressive," said Dr. Vitaly Siomin. "I was actually quite surprised she made it for such a long time without a recurrence."
Geraldine underwent a craniotomy, and she was wide awake for part of it!
"As crazy as it seems it was fun!" she said. "I did hear everything going on around me, but I didn't feel anything."
She's still on anti-seizure medication and has a few more rounds of chemo to go.
While she's certainly a fighter, she's cautious to call herself a survivor.
"Survivor to me, I can't say that word," she said while fighting back tears. "I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. I've done this before. I've been 'cancer free'. I'm just going to keep going again. It is what it is. I'm just going to keep going."
But isn't that what surviving is all about? Moving forward despite the odds and the obstacles?
Geraldine isn't just surviving, she's thriving.
"I have never given up going to practice. I go every single day. It's rough. I'm not going to lie," she said. "What keeps me going is my cheerleaders, my family, my son, my husband. They keep me wanting to keep going and wanting to wake up."
Geraldine goes in for MRIs every couple of months. So far, her scans look good and we wish her nothing but the best.
