SAN ANTONIO — Thursday night at the Pieper Ranch Middle School volleyball game, students parents and staff were decked out in pink for a special dedication in honor of Kimberly Poorman.
In November 2018, Poorman won the KENS 5 Excel Award for Comal ISD. Just a few months later, she learned her family was growing from three to five; she's pregnant with twins.
"Yes, twins!" Poorman said with a beaming smile. "A boy and a girl."
It was the start to what would become a bit of a roller-coaster 2019. In between her second and third trimester, Poorman found a lump during a self breast exam.
"I had just gone into my gynecologist and asked her to check a lump that I felt," Poorman said. "She called me back about a week later and said the results were not what we wanted."
She was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; an aggressive form of cancer, but treatable. She had to start some form of treatment while pregnant.
"It's tough," Poorman said, "but my body is taking it well and it's going to be OK."
On Wednesday, Poorman finished her third round of chemotherapy and her colleague wanted to show her she wasn't battling this alone.
"When she told everyone, other than being tired from being pregnant you wouldn't have known that she was having any issues," said Assistant Athletic Coordinator Mitzi Lancaster. "She's a very strong individual and the way that she has handled this is just incredible. She's been at work except for the time that she had her chemo treatment. She's been here. She's been involved. She has energy. She has a smile on her face every day. She's ready to do and conquer whatever she needs to do and we are there to support her in anyway we can."
Poorman said she will have to start a more aggressive chemotherapy after she has her twins, but she knows she has a team of support behind her through her journey.
"My one message is that everybody is battling whether it's family or any type of illness you just have to go make the most of it," Poorman said. "Lean on your friends. Lean on your community and let them help you where they want to and keep fighting."
October is breast cancer awareness month to educate the community and honor those battling and survivors. You can find more information on prevention and treatment here.
