Diagnosed with breast cancer on September 30, 2014, teacher, mother and wife Beth Carter prepared to fight.

Her breast cancer was originally diagnosed at stage 1, but after surgery, her doctors discovered it was stage 2 because it had spread to her lymph nodes.

Carter is a seventh grade math teacher in Loudon, Virginia. Starting her day same as always with nothing out of normal when she got a phone call.

“I remember exactly where I was when I got the call from my doctor.  I was at school in a resource (study hall) class.  I took the call in our counselor’s office.  Even though the doctor had prepared me, when she said that she was 99.9% sure it was cancer, it felt like I was punched in the stomach,” said Carter.

She was able to make one phone call before heading back to class.

“I asked Gregg  [her husband] to call our kids.  It took me several minutes to regain my composure to return to class and continue teaching that day. The rest of the day was full of lots of tears and fear of what was to come,” said Carter.

There is no history of breast cancer in her family.  The doctor said it was just “bad luck.”

Doctors said trying to stay in class could open the door to infections, so during chemotherapy, Carter had to stay home. Yet, Carter’s determination to fight kicked in.

Her husband Gregg is a system engineer for a technology company called Cisco. He reached out to his co-workers to find a way to reunite Carter with her students virtually. This was six years before the coronavirus forced schools to figure out online instruction.

Cisco gladly provided a TelePresence^™ EX90 system for use in her house, and a TelePresence SX20 Quick Set (which was hooked up to her classroom Promethean Board). The system streamlines her desktop at home so she can move fluidly from individual work, to video calls, to problem solving over shared documents. This let Beth talk to her students face-to-face in real-time to solve math problems.

“It enabled me to really feel like I’m still in the classroom, ‘cause I could still interact with the kids. They could talk to me. I could talk to them. I could see what they’re doing, and they could ask me questions,” Carter said.

A substitute teacher watches over the class while Carter leads instruction from her basement. Loudoun County Public Schools officials said they fully support it.

“When she said she wanted to continue and had a means to do that, I was excited. I said, ‘Great, let’s do it,” said Principal Mark McDermott.

Carter has officially been cancer free for the last five years.

Co-editor-in-Chief Madeline Hull interviewed Beth Carter.

What were some of your first thoughts when you heard your diagnosis? 

It took me a long time to wrap my head around my diagnoses.  My first thought was fear of the unknown.  What if my treatment didn’t work and I died?  Why me?  And how would I be able to keep teaching my kids?  After I received my “cancer phone call” I needed to have several more tests and doctors appointments to develop a treatment plan.  Once I had a plan I put on my ‘boxing gloves’ and got ready to fight.

Tell me about your support system. 

My support system was and is amazing.  I had me family both my immediate family and extended, friends, and my entire school- staff, students and parents of my students.  On the day of my first surgery my school did a pink out and took pictures and created a photo album for me.  My fellow teachers had my students write me notes and the created a gift basket.  Students and staff would check on me daily, teachers made meals for my family for months. I had fellow teachers who had been diagnosed and treated before me who offered advice and support as well.

What message would you provide men and women, who are battling Breast Cancer?

Attitude is half the battle once you get over you own pity party you need to put on you boxing gloves and fight.  if you believe you will win the battle you will.  Ask for help if you need it, everyone reacts to treatment differently so if you need help with meals ask, help with your kids ask, help with household choirs ask.  Remember you are not alone in this battle and the survival rate is getting better and better each day.  Also do everything your doctor recommends and always always get your mammograms as recommended by your doctors.