Meet Robin C.
Sandy Roberts shares, “It is so exciting to see the daily progress of Kin and its outreach to the community. Kin has brought me wonderful opportunities to meet some amazing people. One of those amazing people I had the honor to meet and chat with is the bubbly, Robyn C.”
Who is Robyn?
Happy Birthday Robyn who will be celebrating her 50th birthday this month! On a cold winter morning we got together on Facetime to get to know each other. My first impression was WOW, what a delightful, outgoing, and positive sweet lady. We had a sudden and direct connection as we both are teachers. We chatted for a bit about our amazing grade levels and primary kids, but mostly about our love of teaching “little ones.” Robyn is an outstanding second grade teacher in Monmouth County, NJ. This beloved teacher has been celebrated as Teacher of the Year and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She is presently on medical leave due to her breast cancer treatments and recovery time.
More so than her love of teaching and her students, Robyn loves and adores her family of John, her loving and supportive husband, and her two caring and loving teenage daughters. During their family dinner conversations, Robyn encourages her girls to name three things that will make their tomorrow better. Her cancer journey is a family affair. While Robyn is being a great mom and wife you can also find her reading, knitting, working on crafts, and being with her two dogs.
Robyn’s cancer journey- what has she been through?
Robyn’s cancer journey has indeed been a family journey. She has had a lifelong involvement with cancer. Her mom passed away from Hodgkin’s Disease, after battling it three times, when Robyn was just 19 years old. The following year Robyn received the news that she, too, had Hodgkin’s Disease and began her fight at age 20. This was followed by six months of chemotherapy. After five years of being cancer free she felt she was free of this disease. However, at age 27 the cancer returned, and she braved through five weeks of chemo followed with forty-five days of radiation. Not yet married, she had her dad, whose heart was aching, seeing her daughter go through this, just as her mom had done. While she lost her hair with both chemo treatments, her radiation side effects were horrendous. Cancer patients are warned of the endless possible side effects of their treatments, but one tends to just nod their head and sign the papers. Through all the difficult treatments and side effects, Robyn stayed true to herself and found comfort on setting goals for herself and forever remaining positive and strong. Robyn, at her young age was going to fight through this cancer! She wanted to get her Master’s Degree, make a grade level change, meet someone special, and just “Do it all!” Her goals were accomplished, and she had made it through, showing she was stronger than her cancer!
With the birth of her second daughter, she was diagnosed with PPCM, peripartum cardiomyopathy, a heart condition at the age of 35. This was in part due to her cancer treatments.
Robyn was back to loving life with her husband and family and with her teaching. While concentrating on getting her heart strong, she continued to be faithful in getting her yearly mammograms. At her gynecological visit in 2021, it was mentioned to her that she had not had her mammogram for that year. Robyn realized with COVID, virtual teaching, learning how to handle her own kids, and living through such a difficult year, she had indeed overlooked her mammogram. After some things had settled down, she made an appointment for her mammogram. This was followed by a phone call asking her to return to have another look at her scan. On her mother’s birthday she was diagnosed with breast cancer. (Breast cancer can be a side effect of cancer treatments.) Robyn sought various opinions for her treatment and found her time with Dr. Angotti, the staff at Doylestown Health Care, Dr. Mayekar, and the amazing staff at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology Doylestown campus made her feel secure; she made her decision that Doylestown was where her heart told her that she needed to be. It was time to fight through this new cancer and the treatments and to show she was stronger than breast cancer too! The medical professionals at Doylestown had to look back, consider her previous treatments to plan her future.
What now?
Shortly after Robyn’s surgery, a friend had suggested she go to Pine2Pink’s Luminary Walk this past year held at Font Hill Castle. Her family and friends had made luminary bags in her honor and added them to the line up of so many others on that chilly yet heartwarming evening. As she strolled through the warming luminaries, she felt such comfort and was so touched by the speakers of that evening. Robyn found herself looking at the Pine2Pink information table and was encouraged when she was handed a pamphlet to the Kin Wellness and Support Center. “This,” she said, “is where I need to be!” That night made her feel like “Big wings were covering Doylestown.”
Robyn’s school family has been a huge supporter and are awaiting her return to her class! Currently her medical team says she needs more time to recover. Robyn is working on getting back to being 100 percent Mom to her girls.
It has been through her strong faith, love and care of her incredible family, and her amazing health community that she can “Love each day with a smile on my face!” Robyn knows there are “Angels in Doylestown” and can’t wait to try “EVERYTHING” at Kin. She looks forward to seeing people in person and sharing with other cancer patients, “That we are not alone in this journey.” Robyn feels that there is “a personal thread that attaches all of us together.” Robyn knows that “Kin is a tremendous gift that will make us all move forward.” She knows that others are always watching, and she will continue in this journey shouting her mantra “I will be stronger than any cancer!” With her amazing positive attitude to all those around her, Robyn’s mantra has proven to be true.
At the end of our conversation Robyn simply said, “This is a beautiful thing!” May we all find beauty in all we are going through. Thank you, Robyn, for your joy and inspiring message. It was a delight to meet with you!
Written By Sandy Roberts