SAVANNAH, Ga. () — As we approach the 2025 Healing Heroes, a tribute to Breast Cancer Survivors Fashion Show, we want to introduce you to one of the models who will take to the runway this Saturday.
Drive down Tata Lane in Brooklet and you’ll find a breast cancer survivor who has been giving back to support others on similar journeys.
Every stitch is a reminder of August 2024, and the strength Patsy Williams carries.
Doctors found out that then 71-year-old Patsy Williams had breast cancer in August 2024.
“I would never have known if it had not been for the mammogram,” Williams told .
Williams was already familiar with breast cancer prior to receiving her diagnosis.
“My mother had breast cancer, and mine was discovered on August 22 of last year. So, happy birthday to me,” Williams shared. “I was scared. I didn’t know what I was going to face. Mainly, I worried about what kind of cancer it would be and whether it had spread, as my sister-in-law had passed the year before from breast cancer which had metastasized.”
Faith and her mother’s word lifted Williams to win her toughest battle.
“She was truly a remarkable example of strength,” Williams reflected. “She handled everything with such grace. She always reminded me on challenging days to be grateful for my problems because others might face worse. That little piece of wisdom often pulled me through.”
Williams survived two surgeries during her battle, including a double mastectomy. She said her husband supported her through it all.
“My husband was amazing,” she recounted. “He was incredibly supportive, often reassuring me that things weren’t as bad as I imagined. His emotional support was invaluable.”
A friend lent Williams a pillow for comfort during recovery, which she later introduced to her quilting friends. Now, Williams and her TaTa Sisters craft these pillows to support other breast cancer patients.
“When you undergo a mastectomy, they remove your lymph nodes,” explained Bonnie Gossett, another TaTa Sister. “There’s discomfort under the arms, so you place the pillow across you. It’s particularly useful for doctor visits or car rides when the seatbelt adds pressure, offering much-needed comfort.”
A labor of love and hope, these TaTa Sisters deliver their pillows to St. Joseph’s/Candler.
“It makes me feel really good to know that I can do something that matters,” Williams said. “And I think the ladies that do this with me, that’s how they feel also. They want to serve others.
Williams has spent a little over a year as a breast cancer survivor. She told that all is will with her soul.
“I had from the beginning thought that as Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a plan for me, and no matter how that plan turns out it’s his plan for me,” she said. “And how ever it turned out I was gonna be ok.”
