WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — One local couple is making sure both women and men know the warning signs of breast cancer.
Tamara Freeman-Burton and Louis Burton are Faces of Hope Ambassadors for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, taking place Oct. 17 at the Tidal Basin.
Both Tammy and Louis are breast cancer survivors. Louis was diagnosed first, after experiencing bloody discharge from his right breast.
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Doctors would later find two dime-sized areas of cancer and operate to remove the cancer and lymph nodes across his chest.
After the surgery I was mad, I didn’t want to talk about it, share my feelings, and I kept to myself for a long time,” Louis said.
Tamara Freeman-Burton and Louis Burton are both breast cancer survivors. They now serve as advocates, urging both women and men to know their bodies (The American Cancer Society)
Through it all, Tammy was by Louis’ side. The two turned mammograms into a date.
“It was going really, really well, until 2023,” Tammy said.
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During a routine mammogram, Tammy was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
“They were like ‘Oh, well we need to do an ultrasound,’ and I knew then, I knew then,” Tammy said. “As a nurse, as clinician of over 30 years, I know that’s no good.”
Combined, the couple has undergone four serious surgeries, including a breast reconstruction for Tammy.
In Tammy’s time of need, Louis was there.
“I always tell him thank you, because he didn’t have to keep me. When I had no hair on my head, and I looked like him,” Tammy laughed. “He continued to love me.”
“I’m in it for the long haul,” Louis said. “She’s my everything, and we’re each other’s everything.”
Now, the couple serve as advocates encouraging both women and men to pay attention to their bodies, and do your self breast exams.
Tamara Freeman-Burton and Louis Burton are both breast cancer survivors. They now serve as advocates, urging both women and men to know their bodies (The American Cancer Society)
“I’m a survivor, my wife preached that to me all the time, ‘You’re a survivor, you’re still here, don’t worry about the scar,'” Louis said.
“I’m going to tell the world, please, check yourself, you’ve got to help yourself, if you say something, say something,” Tammy said.
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