When people walk into the administration office, they are greeted by a gust of air freshener and the smiling face of school secretary Diane Grappe. Surrounding her are her guardian angels, pictures of her husband, daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren. The close-knit Grappe family became even closer when Grappe got the phone call that changed her life.

On April 11, Grappe went in for a routine mammogram. A negative report came back and she had to return April 17 for a needle biopsy. Two day later Grappe’s doctor called her and informed her that she had breast cancer.

Ductal carcinoma, the type of breast cancer Grappe was diagnosed with, is non invasive.

“The radiologist told me on the day I had my needle biopsy that he would call whether it was good or bad news. He would be the one that would tell me and it would be on the phone. So either way, I knew I was going to get a call,” Grappe said. “I didn’t know until he told me that it was a bad call.”

When the radiologist first told Grappe that she had cancer, she said she felt numb.

“I started crying and I couldn’t really hear anything he was saying so I gave to the phone to Marilyn, the secretary that sits behind me and I said that they had just told me that I had cancer,” Grappe said. “So she took the phone and listened and wrote down everything.”

Grappe’s radiologist gave her the name of her surgeon, and when she went to discuss her options, her family was right there with her.

“I could bring as many family members as I wanted. My mom from Louisiana came up and of course my husband was there and then my girls went,” Grappe said.

Grappe had a lumpectomy May 7 and several weeks later, she started radiation. She had a total of 33 treatments from July 10 to Aug. 23.With radiation, the odds of her cancer coming back went from 35 percent to 5 percent. Each treatment lasted about seven minutes. Grappe said her skin burned and she felt fatigued because of the radiation.

Grappe has four daughters and she said that many tears were shed because of her diagnosis. She said that no one in her family has had cancer.

“I hated having to tell my parents that I had cancer,” she said.

Even with the news, Grappe stayed positive.

“I feel like I did have breast cancer, but I didn’t have it as bad as others. It made me appreciate what I did have and that we have doctors and equipment to diagnose it early. It makes you appreciate your life and family more,” Grappe said.

Grappe said that returning to work keeps her mind of everything.

“You just have to keep going,” Grappe said.

Though she has never participated in Race for the Cure, Grappe said that she always bought a shirt.

“I’ve never done it because I didn’t like the crowd, but I’m gonna do it this year,” she said.

Grappe’s daughters gathered about 15 of her friends, including friends from school and her Bunko group, and created a team called “Diane’s Support Group,” who will cheer for her Oct. 19 in Race for the Cure.

Grappe has support from her church, Geyer Springs First Baptist, through prayers and hospital visits.

“That’s the main thing when you hear a diagnosis like that, the first thing you think of is your family,” she said.