Corpus Christi Native Flees Home To Continue Chemotherapy In Austin

Hurricane Harvey posed a threat to this cancer patient’s health whether she chose to stay or go.

By Joy DiazSeptember 5, 2017 3:51 pm, ,

Evelyn Weatherbie decided to stay put when she heard Harvey was headed for her hometown, Corpus Christi. She and her husband had weathered storms that left the city without electricity or water before. But this time was different, Weatherbie was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in March. She has been receiving chemotherapy ever since.

When Weatherbie told her children about her plan to stay put so she could keep receiving treatment, they protested.

“They said ‘No, your health is compromised you cannot stay in case there’s no water and you don’t want to stay without any air conditioning…’ They insisted, and they kept on insisting and badgering us until we finally came up,” she says.

Finally, Weatherbie agreed to evacuate to Austin.

“I thought ‘Well I’m going to have to miss chemo,’ which does not make me happy because those little cancer cells will get really busy while the chemo is not happening,” she says.

But Weatherbie was able to continue her treatment at The Texas Oncology Department in Austin.

In addition to returning home, Weatherbie says she can’t wait to be back to her old “very active” self.

“I want to get back to me,” she says.

 

Written by Kate Groetzinger.