Cancer Survivor Leans into Community Service

Cathy Carlson’s life changed in the blink of an eye last fall.

It started with her catching COVID, which led her to coughing up blood. Before she knew it, she was sitting in the emergency room at Franklin General Hospital, where she was told she needed to go to Mason City (and then eventually Rochester) for further testing. After rounds of testing, she was diagnosed with three types of unrelated cancer: stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer, stage 1 Hodgkin lymphoma and stage 3 carcinoma.

While she felt scared and unsure after hearing the news, she also felt blessed, she said, as the cancers were caught early on. So, with support from her family and friends, she went through radiation and then surgery. And much to their surprise, they were told Cathy, 74, was finally cancer-free earlier this month.

“I was not expecting that,” she said. “I was with my daughter and we were both emotional.”

While going through treatment took a toll on Cathy’s body, she remained in good spirits, and has continued to pour into the community. This is what gives her life purpose, she said. When she’s not busy helping on the family tree farm, Cathy can be found dedicating her time to the CAL Board of Education and her church’s committee. She has served as a member of the school board, which she is now the vice president of, for the last eight years.

“Going through something like this makes you realize what your priorities are, and mine is being involved in the community,” she said. “We have to teach the next generation how to take care of their communities. If not, we won’t have them.”

Cathy wanted to remind the younger generations that being involved doesn’t require being on a board or committee.

“Think about how you can help others in small ways,” she said. “It all makes a difference.”

Her husband, Dennis, is also a cancer survivor. When asked how he dealt with cancer, he said it's helped him to find others in the same situation.

"You don't just shut yourself out," he said. "You need to find other people who are dealing with the same issues."

Both Cathy and Dennis are big on staying involved in the community, and they wanted to thank everyone who helped them during Cathy's road to recovery. In fact, a meal train was started for Cathy and meals were brought to them on a regular basis while she was going through treatment.

"It was very humbling," said Cathy. "We say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to take care of each other, especially when someone is sick."

When it comes to remaining involved in the community, Dennis couldn't agree more with his wife.

“When people get older, they think they’re done and that they’ve done their fair share,” he said. “No, you haven’t.”

Cathy and Dennis share three children (Michelle, Kelly and Ben) and five grandchildren.