Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
In the fall of 2023, Heather McGuire, 34, began to have some pain in her upper back. Thinking it was nothing more serious than a pinched nerve, she visited her chiropractor for relief. Following a simple adjustment, she did feel some relief, but the pain quickly returned. Thinking this was more than a mere pinched nerve, she went to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, where numerous diagnostic tests and procedures were performed. Four tumors were found on her spine and three were surgically removed. After a biopsy on the tumors was performed, McGuire was rushed to Shands Hospital, in Gainesville, with a cancer diagnosis.
McGuire has been at Shands since Wednesday, Dec. 20, where she has undergone radiation treatments. The exact type of cancer attacking her body is unknown, but it has proven to be very aggressive, as the tumors quickly returned. It is hoped the radiation treatments can keep the cancer at bay until it is determined just what kind of cancer she has and a plan to battle the cancer can be determined. The cancer has left her temporarily paralyzed from her waist down. In addition to the radiation, she has been undergoing physical therapy at Shands.
When the cancer struck, McGuire was still in her early days of work at Madison Correctional Institution, where she was working as a Correctional Officer. McGuire says she is very grateful for the support she as received from her co-workers and the prison staff. “They have been super supportive during this time,” said McGuire. “I’m going to do everything they tell me and everything I can to fight this because I have a job and four kids to get back to.”
Without being able to work, McGuire and her family have begun to struggle with bills. For this reason, a GoFundMe fundraising account has been established. Anyone wishing to help McGuire and her family is urged to go to https://gofund.me/3023339d.
McGuire is a 2007 graduate of Madison County High School. She has four children, ages 18, 14, 13 and eight.