Anna Graves is very familiar with operating rooms. As a surgical technologist with Novant Health, she helps ensure that surgeons have everything they need for safe, successful procedures.
The Greensboro resident and single mom to son Kanai, 5, knows how it feels to be a patient, too. She is in remission from cervical cancer, with support from Dr. Elizabeth Skinner, a gynecologic oncologist withNovant Health Cancer Institute - Forsyth.
Graves faced more than her share of challenges on the way to surviving cervical cancer. They included emergency surgery, caring for her young son, her mother's stroke and having to step away from work for months.
Here, she describes how she beat them all with help from friends, family, her Novant Health care team, and the Novant Health emergency fund for team members.
Challenge No. 1: I had a hysterectomy in the hope of preventing future cancers. And yet, I got cancer anyway.
I had my son in 2019. Three years later, I received a hysterectomy following a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in situ, or precancerous cells in the cervix. My fallopian tubes were removed but I kept my ovaries to prevent premature menopause.
In May 2024, I felt an excruciating pain and headed for the emergency room at Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center, where they gave me a CT scan. A few days later, they referred me to the oncology department. Dr. Skinner found metastatic cervical cancer in my ovaries.
Challenge No. 2: I endured emergency surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy.
Nurse navigator Robin Atkinson, left, is part of the cancer care team that Anna Graves, right, is thankful for.
I needed emergency surgery to remove my ovaries. Cervical cancer spreading to the ovaries is rare but it happened to me.
I'm someone who tries to stick with using natural products, so it was tough to decide to have chemotherapy and be pumped with chemicals. I had every chemo symptom you can think of. The hair loss was the only one that didn't bother me much. I'm actually cute with it – I've gotten compliments.
The process was like stripping away my old body to build up a new one. Along with chemotherapy, I also received immunotherapy. My little boy was my motivation. I wanted to live for him. I answered his questions throughout the process. It gave me a sense of motivation and direction.
Challenge No. 3: I’m a single mom and my mother’s caregiver.
A month before I became sick, my mom was getting ready for work when she felt something wasn’t right. She drove to the hospital and ended up having a stroke while there. She was in the intensive care unit for about two weeks, then transferred to a rehab unit and later a skilled nursing facility.
I started chemotherapy on June 3. My mom was discharged and moved to my house on June 4. She had been very independent before her stroke and has continued home therapy at my house.
The weight of everything didn't hit me until my third or fourth round of chemo. I didn’t have time to feel anything. I just used my resources the best I could.
My son and his grandmother, they have a close relationship. It was important for her to be around. And I had to do what I needed to do for me because I'm important to him. My mom’s friends, my cousin, and my son’s godmother helped us through.
Challenge No. 4: I couldn’t go back to work for months.
I tried to return to work twice over the summer but my body wasn’t ready. I had neuropathy, a nerve condition, in my feet. Sometimes they felt fiery. At other times they went completely numb. I had trouble standing and walking. It took until November to be able to work full time again.
While I was out of work, I got help from the Novant Health employee emergency fund. It helps you pay for rent and other bills.
Novant Health really carried out their cause statement with me. I’m grateful to the nurses who assisted in my operation and those in the cancer unit. I have to give a shout-out for all their love and encouragement. The nurse navigators make sure the cancer patients have everything to maintain treatment, stay hopeful and keep moving forward.
A future with promise
Today, I’m in remission and get maintenance therapy. I’m starting at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University this semester.
My degree will be a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Applied Cultural Thought. It looks at different cultures, including some African American studies. I want to grow into a leadership role in the medical field, help make teams more efficient, and give back to the community.
Kanai is very excited that my hair is growing back. He likes to rub my head and it feels so good. He’s the biggest support I could ever imagine. My mom is doing much better, too. She finished home therapy and has gone back to her retail job.
My message to all women is that we are here for a reason. We are able to endure any and everything. Even when you think for a slight second that you can't, that's when you can.
–as told to Andrea Cooper
Meet Dr. Elizabeth Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner’s mom was a nurse. Her dad was a physician. Growing up, Skinner wanted to be a pediatrician.
But “in medical school, I realized I really like to operate,” the Asheville native recalled. Gynecologic oncology allowed her to treat patients with complex surgical procedures and provide follow-up care.
“As we go through this extremely high-stress situation of cancer diagnosis and management together,” she said, “my relationships with patients and their families are really fulfilling and meaningful for me.”
Skinner also developed a way to battle cancer in her free time. In 2010, she founded Athena’s Run for Gyn Cancers, which raised “well over $500,000" in 10 years for research, educational symposium and programs for survivors, Skinner said. The funds still support cancer services today, including an ob-gyn department at a Tanzanian hospital where Skinner volunteers.
She sees 2025 as a hopeful time. Twenty years ago, oncologists wouldn’t have much to offer patients with Anna Graves’ diagnosis. Today, “there’s immunotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and other things that just weren’t available,” Skinner said. “Seeing women beating these cancers and living beyond them has been really exciting.”
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