By June Mathews
It was March 2020, and Mary Scott Israel wasn’t feeling well. But in those early days of COVID-19, not feeling well was often attributed to the stresses and fears of the coming pandemic.
So, the University of Alabama sophomore brushed off some nagging stomach problems she had been experiencing, and she and her roommate embarked on a long-awaited spring break trip to Spain.
But they didn’t get far. They were in the air when the Trump Administration announced a travel ban, and the plane turned around. The girls’ European vacation abruptly ended at New York’s JFK airport.
With the benefit of hindsight, Israel now sees the travel ban as the first of many blessings that carried her through the battle she was about to face.
Once the would-be travelers made their way back to Alabama, a trip made long and difficult due to lockdowns, Israel and her roommate headed to the Gulf Coast to quarantine. In the meantime, they each contracted a case of COVID.
“As the weeks rolled by, my roommate got better, but I just did not,” she said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but in addition to fighting COVID, my body was fighting cancer.”
By early May, Israel’s continuing illness had become too much to ignore, and she returned home to Vestavia Hills. Her father and stepmother, alarmed at her overall appearance, quickly sought medical help.
Testing revealed that a 27-centimeter tumor had overtaken Israel’s left ovary and spread to her colon, liver and other parts of the abdominal area. Surgery a day later did away with the 16-pound mass, and to preserve fertility, the right ovary was left intact. Her prognosis, however, was bleak; while aggressive chemotherapy might prolong her life, it would not cure the cancer.
“I was not interested in walking down the avenue of doing chemo, only to go through more suffering,” she said. “I just wanted to live out whatever time I had left.”
Coincidentally, the day Israel left the hospital, she learned she had been accepted to the Capstone School of Nursing. Told by school officials that she could either withdraw or defer her enrollment, Israel chose to defer.
As word of her condition spread, “I was immediately wrapped in a lot of love and a lot of prayers,” she said. “My church rallied for me; my pastors, family, friends and people I have never met and probably will never meet hit their knees, praying for me.”
So she considers what happened next a direct answer to prayer and “the most incredible gift God has ever given me, other than calling me his own.”
While Israel recovered from surgery, a dedicated team of doctors continued to work on her case, and their efforts paid off. Through further review of the pathology and consultations with other doctors, including some at the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a restated pathology report came back with an encouraging note.
“It said I had a surviving chance if we hit it with chemo really, really hard and really, really fast,” she said, “and that’s exactly what we did. All of a sudden, this girl who was going to die was given a possibility to live.”
Four years later, Israel has finished nursing school and works at Children’s Hospital caring for pediatric oncology patients. She is back to traveling and takes an active role in her church, and she gladly shares her incredible story of cancer and healing as opportunities arise.
“I believe prayer saved my life,” said Israel. “I don’t deserve a single bit of the grace extended to me, but here I am. And if anybody is denying that God is sovereign or that he is the master of creation, I’m like, ‘Let me just tell you about the summer of 2020.’”
Motherwalk 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run
Because she’s “been there” and wants to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, Mary Scott Israel will be joining an anticipated 600 runners for the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation’s 21st annual Motherwalk 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run at Homewood Central Park on May 11.
“I went last year, and it was awesome,” she said. “It’s going to be a good day.”
An annual event held on Mother’s Day weekend, Motherwalk is also an opportunity for honoring survivors and remembering women who have lost their lives to ovarian cancer.
“Before the race begins, we’ll have a recognition ceremony that will culminate in a dove release,” Ashley Thompson, executive director of the foundation, said. “We’ll also have a memory walk with nearly 200 pictures of women who have dealt with ovarian cancer.”
The event will feature music, a kids’ zone, educational displays and merchandise vendors. A celebratory moment will come when the foundation’s research grants are awarded.
“The amounts are bigger than ever, and we’ll be awarding a huge grant to the UAB Department of Gynecological Oncology,” Thompson said. “We’ll also award our second grant to the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute.”
The UAB grant, said Thompson, comes from the foundation’s Drive Out Ovarian Cancer car tags. Every dollar the foundation receives for sales of the tags goes to funding research.
For information, visit cureovariancancer.org.
