Dottie Copeland tells her daughter Tina Nelson about her breast cancer diagnosis, how she decided to fight the disease like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, and how beating it changed her life.
Originally aired June 12, 2009, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Transcript
Tina Nelson (TN) and Dottie Copeland (DC)
DC: I had a needle biopsy. This guy takes this needle and he pulls out some tissue. And when he got done, I said to him, ‘What do you think?’ He says, ‘Well, I think your doctor will tell you.’ And I said, ‘No, I think you should tell me.’ And he said, ‘Are you sure you can handle it?’ And I said, ‘Of course I can handle it.’ He said, ‘I think you have cancer.’ I said, ‘Fine.’ I went outside. Your father’s sitting there. And I said to him, ‘I’ve got cancer. Let’s go get a hamburger. I’m hungry.’ I dealt with it by saying to myself that I would fight this cancer as a boxing match. I loved the movie Rocky and so I went out and I bought the tape. For two weeks, I played that theme song 24 hours a day. I trained myself, mentally. I would run in place. I’d jump rope. Tina would hold up a pillow. I’d punch it. And so, the day before my surgery, I went to Walmart, bought myself a camouflage hat. I bought myself a camouflage t-shirt, and I went to the hospital. I felt so confident I felt like kicking the door down. And I walked up to the desk and I said to the nurse, ‘My name is Dottie Copland, and I’m here for surgery. And I want you to bring it on. I’m ready.’
TN: And didn’t you tell the surgeon to play the tape?
DC: Yes, I said to him, ‘I want to go under with that tape playing.’ And I went under to the tune of Rocky.
TN: So how has this experience changed your life?
DC: I beat cancer for nine years. Will it come back tomorrow? It sure might. I’ve got to live my life as if it could end tomorrow, but everybody should live their life that way.
TN: How do you want to be remembered, Mom?
DC: As a woman that had a fighting spirit, that raised three wonderful human beings. And I want them to remember that when I do pass, they can say, she was one hell of a woman and she had one great ride.