Linda Saya continues to overcome.

Linda Saya

Sponsored by All Access Care of Ludington. Located at 329 N. Jebavy Dr. in Ludington; 231-425-4544; www.all-access-care.com.

By Kate Krieger. Senior Correspondent.

LUDINGTON – Linda Saya has overcome a lot in her life and is happy to be alive. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, Linda started her fight to live her life the best way she knew how. She said her doctor in Grand Rapids took out all of the tumors and none if it went into her lymph nods.

“She took it all out,” she said. “Everything was fine.”

Then, in 2006, Linda was suffering from some pain in her side and she remembered one day while at work the pain got really bad.

“I went to the doctor and they ran a CAT scan and found cancer in some of my bones,” she said. “I started chemo and that was a whole new thing. I only had radiation with the breast cancer.”

Months later Linda went in for a PET scan and the doctor found more cancer in the vertebras in her neck.

“It started to affect the C-2 vertebra in my neck,” she said. “That’s the vertebra that controls the motion for the head.”

Linda’s doctor told her that she needed to start wearing a neck brace to keep her neck stabilized. She needed to wear the brace most of the time just to keep everything in the right alignment.

With the cancer affecting her bones, in 2012 Linda had yet another scare when she fell at work. She went to the hospital and found out she had broken her hip. The cancer had weakened the hip and the hip socket.

“I had a hole in my right hip almost as large as the socket,” Linda said. “There was cancer in there as well.”

They replaced the hip and then ended up replacing the other hip when they discovered that the left hip socket was almost nonexistent.

“They found several more tumors in my left hip,” Linda said. “I went for chemo in Grand Rapids every Friday for six months.”

As of January 2014, the cancer is still there, but it isn’t growing.

“I had to have the attitude to fight and not to give into it,” she said. “I have kids and grandkids I need to be around for.”

Linda has really taken to the fighting attitude, she said it’s the only way she how to deal with the cancer. She said she went through a time when she was bedridden and she knew that she couldn’t live like that forever. From using a walker and a cane to move around, Linda has now graduated to moving completely on her own and the freedom of mobility has been very welcomed.

“I can get around so much better now than I could before,” she said. “In 2012, they only gave me months to live and now I’m maintaining.”

Crediting her family and her church family for helping her get through a lot of the hard times, Linda is so grateful for the prayers and support that continue to raise her spirits and strength.

“My husband and children have been with me through this time in my life,” she said. “Everyone needs a strong family support. Everyone at Beacon Ministries supported me with meals, rides to Grand Rapids for treatments and support through prayer. They were much encouragement for me and our family.”

With some amazing supports in place, Linda stated that she will always be a fighter and she is happy to be able to keep living an amazing life, surrounded by amazing people.

“I hate not being able to do stuff,” she said. “I do a lot more now than last year. I’m just going to keep on doing to keep on doing.”

Spending as much time as she can with her family and her grandchildren, Linda has high hopes for the years to come and her outlook on life is very positive.

“I tell anyone that the attitude they need to have is to keep doing.,” she said. “If you’re going to quit, you’re going to quit. I want to be here.”