Jeanette Lee, the woman who earned the nickname Black Widow because she was known to eat her opponents alive, sat in a New York hospital bed, turned on her Facebook live and gave 180,000 people an update.
She said that January was a rough start for a new year. Not as rough as the beginning of 2021.
The 50-year-old mother of three daughters was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year. Friends and family feared she had only months to live after she was ravaged by the disease.
Lee said she has newfound hope after a year of treatment and surgery. It is the hope that comes with the fight it takes to be a world renowned pocket billiards player. Early in her career, a woman was told she would never beat the men.
Lee said in a video that the odds of him becoming a world champion were not great.
Lee doesn't pay attention to the statistics when it comes to her cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of 17%.
Lee said that he wanted to enjoy his life and that he wanted to do the best he could with what he had. It has not been easy.
The hospital where Lee was this month had nothing to do with cancer. She said that it was one of her scariest health battles yet.
Lee was in a motor home on New Year's Eve. She was going on a trip of a lifetime.
When we got the news of cancer, I started talking to my sister in Hong Kong who lives in New York, and we thought it would be good for us to spend some time in New York.
Lee told the driver that she only stood up in the vehicle if it was urgent. A car hit the motor home's lane. Lee was flipped backward when the driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the car.
She said that she fell down the stairwell of the motor home.
Lee was taken to the emergency room where he was diagnosed with nothing serious. She was released and told to get in touch with her doctor.
Lee said she knew something was wrong when she was at her friends home in New York. She was having a hard time talking. She knew what she wanted to say but it wouldn't come out. She fell three times. Lee said she wasclumsy.
She said that she dropped things all the time and couldn't hold on to them.
Lee was in pain, her speech was getting worse, and she was fatigued.
It was brutal. Lee said it was out of control and scary.
Lee went back to the ER. There, she was diagnosed with a condition called severe spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spaces within the spine which can put pressure on nerves that travel through the spine.
The weakness and balance that Lee was having was due to the narrowing of the arteries. The pain was also present. Lee was going to have back surgery.
Ten days after surgery, Lee shot a video on Facebook, commenting about how she didn't like the way her black hair was growing back after she lost it due to cancer treatments. She said that that wasn't anything to think about. Her blessings were.
She said that she was thankful for her family and friends, as well as her fans who had been sending prayers.
Lee said that it all helps as she pushes forward.
Lee was emotional as she spoke to her fans, who were sending messages during the video.
Lee said that he was reading what you guys were saying.
She made a video to tell them that they should never give up hope.
She said to look up, look forward to the day, and see what you can make of it.
Lee said she feels like staying in bed most days. Stage 4 cancer can be devastating on the body and mind.
She said that she finds herself in and out of depression, but that she plans to live a long time. I will stay positive.
Lee said that there are days when she doesn't feel like she can get out of bed.
She said that she has beautiful children and so much to look forward to.
She hopes to be playing pool again very soon.
As she rose to the top of her sport, Lee spit out competitors. She was a woman who broke through in a sport that was barely noticed in the mainstream world of football and basketball.
She walked the red carpet at the ESPY Awards and was featured in several magazines.
Lee lived in Carmel and Mooresville at the height of her success. She once called Edgerrin James the best celebrity amateur pool player she had ever competed against.
Lee, an American of Korean descent, was an icon who could get sponsorships that had nothing to do with billiards, chalk or cue.
She appeared on a number of national TV shows. She had a part in The Other Sister.
Lee knows that her success has given her a platform as she battles cancer.
She said that everything you go through is an opportunity to inspire others.
When you fight the good fight, you will get more out of life.
Dana Benbow is a sports reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached via email at dbenbow@indystar.com.
Jeanette Lee was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer one year ago.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
