CHARLOTTE, NC — “I started sensing this pain in my back,” recalled Judy Williams. “Back in November.”
At first, Williams says she didn't pay much attention to the nagging pain, but after a visit to the doctor and a scan, she was told they'd found a mass in her lungs.
"She told me how many centimeters it was, and to put that in actual size, it’s about the size of half your hand," said Williams.
"And she says you must have gotten it the way you thought you got it, because it’s a smoker’s cancer," said Williams.
A biopsy confirmed it's lung cancer that has reached stage three. And, her doctor had one more puzzling twist.
Williams said she couldn’t believe it because she’s never smoked, doesn’t allow smoking in her home or office, and tries to avoid anywhere there is smoke.
But there was one situation she couldn't control. Williams cofounded the Charlotte anti-violence group Mothers of Murdered Offspring in 1993 after her goddaughter was murdered by a serial killer. Since then, she's campaigned tirelessly for nonviolence and brought comfort to the families of Charlotte's homicide victims. Williams told Channel 9 she believes the second-hand smoke she was exposed to at so many MOMO vigils and events over the years may have caused her cancer.
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"I’m not going to be bitter though. I’ve been angry," said Williams. "Because I’m dealing with something somebody else has chosen to do to their body."
Williams admits the fear she now feels is real and so is the pain. Several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation have taken their toll.
She's staying away from vigils for now, but Williams is a fighter. She's taking on this killer the same way she's taken on so many others with a promise to keep her light burning as long as she can.
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"I’ve got to heal myself first, get better, start doing some things differently, then get back in there. I do not plan to stop," she said.