At last week’s Pike County Quorum Court meeting, Pike County Judge Dewight Mack announced that Penny Hill, wife of Sheriff Travis Hill had been diagnosed with cancer.
“It will be a trying time, so keep them in your prayers,” said Mack.
According to Travis, the cancer is stage two non-Hodgkins lymphoma and that she had three tumors — one in the neck and two in her chest. A bone marrow test in Hill’s hip showed the cancer had not yet spread that far.
Hill will receive treatment through Baylor University in their Dallas-based cancer institute, which began last Friday. She will have five more treatment in three week intervals — which will include four different chemotherapy drugs and steroids — with the immediate goal of shrinking the tumors, which are interfering with her heart and lung operations, according to Travis.
“She has an awesome doctor, who is a lymphoma expert,” said Travis. “It’s an aggressive cancer, but [the doctor] has a positive outlook. He said he would try something cutting edge, giving her a 50-80 percent chance. He said the goal was for a cure and not just remission.”
While admitting she would be on a “rough road,” Travis described her as “a strong woman” who plans to keep working on her mail route during the process.
“I have to have her around — she takes care of me,” he admitted.
For those interested in helping the cause and showing support, benefit T-shirts and bracelets are being sold at the Pike County Sheriff’s Office in Murfreesboro.
The T-shirts are being sold for $20 each and are available up to size 6XL, while the bracelets are a minimum of $2 each by donation.
