Sybil Owenby has always had exceptional health throughout most of her life. Letting nothing slow her down, the 83-year-old Gaffney woman is a regular at the gym, remains active in her church, spends time with her family, cleans, cooks, works in the yard and fills up a social calendar rather quickly. 

So, when Owenby was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, it took her by surprise.  

“For about a week or so I couldn’t really breathe. It wasn’t normal. And I wasn’t sick so I couldn’t figure it out,” she said. “I was putting on a baby shower for a friend, and before it was over I wasn’t feeling well, and I didn’t understand what was wrong.” 

After her daughter helped her get medical attention, a series of tests confirmed she had ovarian cancer. 

An estimated 20,890 women will receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2025, according to the American Cancer Society. Of that total, about 12,730 women will die from it. 

Common symptoms of ovarian cancer include fatigue, difficulty eating, urinary changes, pelvic pain and bloating. These symptoms can be vague and often only appear in later stages of ovarian cancer. 

Owenby went through several rounds of chemotherapy under the direction of Dr. Carlton Schwab followed by surgery and ending with more chemotherapy, totaling 23 rounds. 

After surgery, taking laps around the hospital unit aided her recovery process. 

“I’ve always been active. It’s just one of those things where I do everything with a very active mindset,” she said. 

She said the hospital staff was more than accommodating and helpful in her recovery process, allowing her daughter Rhonda to stay with her during that time. 

In November 2022, her cancer returned, so she started chemotherapy again and was put on a regimen of infusion treatments every three to six weeks to keep the cells from coming back. 

Today she is back to full strength and feeling healthy again. 

“You can have a pity party every day, but where does that get you?” she said. “The main thing is that you do what your doctor asks you to do.” 

She said her family doctor’s main advice was to work on her appetite, so she has been enjoying a milkshake just about every day, making Chick-fil-a visits a daily routine with her friends. 

“My friends are sure to ask me if I’m keeping up with my doctor’s orders,” she said jokingly. “I’ve got two who always want to go into the restaurant so we can spend an hour talking.”