Beth Hoobler and her husband Matt were packing up for a normal weekend getaway on the water. Being out in nature and fishing their homewaters was a normal occasion and this trip seemed to be no different. The day before taking off, she visited the doctor for her first ever mammogram where she heard the news that she might have breast cancer. Returning home, Beth and Matt decided to go on their fishing trip as planned despite the shocking news. When the lab results came in, her doctor confirmed the diagnosis but with relief that they caught it early. And so her cancer journey began.
No stranger to cancer, the Hoobler family had witnessed its wrath when Beth’s mom was diagnosed with liver cancer. This disease ran in the family and affected several other relatives throughout her life. In 2016, Beth was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in 2019 her dad passed away from stomach cancer. Beth states, “Our family won the lottery, but just the wrong one.” One of Beth’s biggest concerns throughout her cancer journey was how this might impact her two daughters who saw firsthand what cancer could do.
After Beth’s first lumpectomy, her doctor noticed something abnormal on the MRI. Her doctor encouraged her to consider a double mastectomy which she ultimately decided to do. Around this time, Beth ran into another breast cancer survivor at her church who just returned from a Casting for Recovery retreat. She encouraged Beth to apply and she told her she’d consider it. Beth confessed, “My initial reaction was hell no. That sounds terrifying!” But the more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that the fly fishing piece would actually be fun. So, in 2017 Beth applied and she attended her first CfR retreat in 2018.
“It was such an incredible dose of clarity and perspective. My faith in humanity was restored when I looked around and saw good people who genuinely just cared about me and wanted to help us all get through this.”
Continue reading her story here.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
