By Lauren Estes-Velez

FLINT- A 25-year veteran working dispatch for Morgan County 911 was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of this year, and members of the Falkville community are fundraising to help her fight her battle.

Traci DeWeese, wife to Priceville Assistant Police Chief Ron DeWeese, discovered she had breast cancer in the spring and has since begun chemotherapy.

Falkville Police Chief Chris Free said since the town and police department learned of the news that a dedicated team member of the Morgan County 911 dispatch was down, they have worked together to help provide help for her medical expenses.

“I actually had no idea they were doing it. They came up with it on their own, and one night they tagged me on a Facebook post saying they were doing that for me,” Traci said. “To be included and thought of like this is awesome. It just shows the closeness of the first response community.”

T-shirts are for sale at the Falkville Police Department for $15 apiece. Pictures and information about them are available on the Town of Falkville and Falkville Police Department Facebook pages.

Traci is the dispatch supervisor at the Flint location on Highway 31. She said she dispatches for Falkville as well as other communities. This journey has been one not so much of weakness, she said, but of strength.

“I’ve always been a giver, and it’s hard to let other people do this for you. It’s hard to let others take care of you,” she said. “I just have to let people do it, and that’s been a struggle for me. I’m used to answering the calls and helping others. Now I’m having to be helped. I haven’t worked since May and haven’t been in my element. Instead, I’ve been getting better.

“I’m doing chemotherapy. I’ve had 10 treatments and have six more to go, and I do them weekly. I will do surgery after chemo, and I will have to have a double mastectomy.”

Traci said her discovery of breast cancer was fate. It came just after she had weight loss surgery in February.

“I actually had the gastric sleeve surgery done, and that’s how I found my cancer,” she said. “I had lost 45 pounds, and they found the large mass under my lymph node under my right arm. They took a couple biopsies and didn’t know the source.

“Then PET scans and MRIs found two other spots in my right breast. One was benign, and the other was the same as the cancer they found under my arm. If it wasn’t for that surgery in February, I wouldn’t have known because it was missed on my yearly check-ups. My surgery was a blessing to me for so many reasons.”

The main goal for Traci is to remain positive and inspiring. She has since created a Facebook page to keep the community updated on her journey.

“Traci’s Fight is the Facebook page, and I’ve gained a huge support system that I keep updated about my journey with daily,” DeWeese said. “Go get checked. I can’t say it enough. I want to tell my story. Instead of getting scared, this has made me appreciate life even more.

“I’ve always been a fighter, but this has made me even more of a fighter and stronger.”

Free said DeWeese is stubborn but agrees she is a fighter. He said the department is always on board with any charity event but especially when one of their own is affected.

“I love to see the community step up and help,” Free said. “I hope people will support Traci through these T-shirt sales and also remember her in their prayers. We are all behind her in this fight against cancer.”