Stacy Woods spent 28 years at Mondelez building brands most of us have in our pantry — Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz, Sour Patch Kids. She led strategy and operations, raised two kids and never stopped moving. When she left, she kept going: VP at McCain Foods, then VP at Leslie’s Pools. She was 60 days into the Leslie’s job when she found a golf ball-sized lump during a workout.
The mammogram confirmed breast cancer on the right side. An MRI caught a second primary tumor on the left. One was triple negative — a rare and aggressive form that accounts for 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer diagnoses. The other was hormone positive. What she thought would be a two-month detour became a year-long treatment plan: 16 rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 30 rounds of radiation.
Her husband Bruce had just marked one year cancer-free when Stacy got diagnosed — to the day. Their family had been through this before. But Stacy had something else too: 12 women led by her friend Janie Reese who called themselves the Stacy Strong Tribe. They showed up for every chemo session, cooked meals and sent cards for a year straight. Her son shaved his head. Her colleagues at Leslie’s — a team she’d known for barely two months — picked up her work without being asked.
Stacy never stopped working through treatment. She talks about the faith that carried her, the books that helped, the Thanksgiving she couldn’t cook and the moment she told Bruce to get the clippers. She is now one year cancer-free, retired from corporate America and running marketing for Bruce Woods Realty. Her mammogram came back clear the day before this interview.
Executive Producer: Sara Glassman
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