In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Atlanta Public Schools is proud to highlight the stories of survivors who continue to serve students and their school communities.
Angela C. Rivers is a third-grade teacher at West Manor Elementary School who joined Atlanta Public Schools (APS) eight years ago. She is currently serving her 24th year as a teacher. This is her story:
My name is Angela Rivers, and I am a three-year breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with stage 1B, HER2-positive breast cancer on September 8, 2021, two days after my birthday. I went in for my regular mammogram, and they saw a difference in the imaging, which led them to send me in for a biopsy. I was at work sitting in my classroom when a message came through on MyChart. I was stunned for a moment as I read the results of the biopsy, which was directly followed by a call from my doctor’s office.
On October 4, 2021, I began what would become six rounds of chemotherapy and later had a lumpectomy, followed by a month of radiation.
The most difficult part of my journey was not being able to give my daughter, who was 6 years old at the time, 100 percent. She was very supportive and seemed to understand that mommy wasn’t feeling well or mommy was tired. I’m thankful that my husband and my support system were there for whatever we needed. My goal was to keep her life as normal as possible. I overcame this by doing everything that I could do with the strength that I did have on a daily basis. I picked her up from school. I took her to gymnastics practice. I attended school functions and gymnastics meets. I showed up for her. She was and still is a tremendous motivation throughout my journey.
Today, I am happy to report that I have completed my treatments and am maintaining my healing with a preventative medication.
My advice to anyone newly diagnosed and those going through treatment is that your life is not over. Medicine has advanced so much over the years. I hope you can be thankful that we are in a time where we can benefit from it, and I encourage you to hold on to all the good things in your life. Have faith in the next chapter.
Q: What support did you feel or receive from your APS community during your breast cancer journey?
A: During my journey, the support I felt the most from APS was simply holding my job. I didn’t worry about anything while on leave. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough sick time to cover my full absence, and the sick bank was unavailable. Knowing I had a job to return to meant a lot to me.
The APS Department of Health and Physical Education invites everyone to wear pink on the remaining Wednesdays in October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. By participating, we honor survivors, remember those we’ve lost, and support the ongoing fight against this disease. Don’t forget to engage with us online using the hashtag #APSGoesPink! Together, we can raise awareness and advocate for progress in breast cancer prevention and care.