Cancer Survivor Visits Siteman To Spread Generosity, Awareness, and Courage
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
With a 1000-watt smile, Agnes Judge radiated confidence as she stopped to warmly greet and encourage patients at Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine Dec. 9.
Agnes, aptly nicknamed Angel, also generously donated $1,000 to The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to support patient care in the Joanne Knight Breast Health Center at Siteman.
Her confidence and positivity are a dramatic turn from just four years ago when she was cloaked in darkness after breast cancer led to a double mastectomy. At that time, Agnes felt “less than a woman.”
Today, drawing on her strong faith, Agnes is proud of her body and lives a vibrant, active life. The South Carolina resident is now on a nationwide mission to inspire women and build awareness of the importance of screenings to catch breast cancer early.
Siteman was the 48th of 50 planned visits Agnes has made to leading cancer centers in each of the country’s 50 states. She has donated $1,000 to every center she has visited.
Agnes’s commitment and sense of duty isn’t surprising considering she is a graduate of The Citadel, a historic military college in South Carolina, and a 20-year Army veteran who served in the Gulf War and beyond. Since then, she has added model and philanthropist to her titles.
“Fighting is therapy for me,” Agnes says. “I was so lost when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, I feel compelled by God to let others know to fight for their lives. A cancer diagnosis isn’t a death sentence. Medicine has come so far. As someone who has been through it, my goal is to inspire, empower, and encourage women to ‘strut their stuff.’”
Through her visits to cancer centers around the country, Agnes encourages women to take advantage of health services available, get their annual mammograms, and build self-care into their routines. Her donations are focused on supporting patients’ overall well-being.
“Wellness programs that include support groups, music and art therapies, and other components that care for the patients’ mental and emotional well-being are as important as the physical care,” she says.
Jordan Foy, senior manager of the screening program at Siteman, escorted Agnes around Siteman’s new cancer building that unites the most advanced treatments with patient comfort and convenience.
“It’s such a special place to work,” Jordan says.” We’re trying to make the care patients receive as easy as possible.”
Agnes was impressed to learn that Siteman has the longest-running mammogram van program in the country at 38 years and counting. The Foundation has been a key funder of the mammography vans from the beginning.
Jordan says mammography screenings are so important because, while about 45,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, about 90% of those cancers are treatable and curable when caught at an early stage.
“There are lots of different treatment types for breast cancer that can be non-invasive when the cancer is caught early,” Jordan says. “It’s really important to advocate for your health and the health of those around you.”
That’s exactly what Agnes is doing—state by state.
“It’s meaningful for patients to meet someone like Agnes who has been through breast cancer and see her continuing to fight right along with them,” Jordan says. “It’s huge that she is continuing to spread hope and love across all 50 states—not just in her own backyard but in everyone’s backyard.”
Agnes began her cancer center tour and donations in June 2023. After her last stop in Vermont in January 2025, she plans to finish a book and hopes to become a voice for women to improve health insurance coverage.
“Agnes is a force of nature, and her desire to spread awareness about breast cancer prevention is inspiring. I was honored to accompany her on a visit to the Breast Health Center at Siteman,” says Jennifer Jones, a philanthropy officer at the Foundation. We are grateful to be included on her tour of cancer centers across the country.”
Written by Joyce Romine