Nancy Hambrick, wife of state assemblyman, beats cancer – again
In the middle of her cancer treatment, Nancy Hambrick and her husband, Assemblyman John Hambrick, R-Las Vegas, went on a 10-day Caribbean cruise in January.
The couple had planned the trip before she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and decided to go through with the vacation, partly to keep up their spirits.
“We just always stayed positive,” Nancy Hambrick said Friday. “That and the power of prayer is not to be questioned.”
On Thursday, the Hambricks got good news from her doctor: Tests showed that Nancy Hambrick was cancer-free after 12 cycles of chemotherapy. She’ll have four more treatments to ensure the cancer is gone, but it looks like she beat the disease for the second time. Previously, she had breast cancer. Her husband won his own fight against prostate cancer.
“We’ve gone through fighting this beast before,” John Hambrick said. “We’re a fighting family, and we believe in the Almighty. … This has just re-enforced that.”
The Catholic couple said friends, family and acquaintances all over the world were praying for them, including at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.
“I’m sure at one point, the Almighty said, ‘Who is this Nancy Hambrick?’ ” John Hambrick joked.
Nancy Hambrick was diagnosed in August with Hodgkin’s during a routine mammogram, she said. She had a suspicious lymph node under her left arm. A biopsy confirmed it was cancerous, but it was caught early.
A week after she started chemotherapy, her hair began falling out in clumps. So in early November, John Hambrick shaved his head and has kept it bald ever since in a show of support.
“When she’s finished with chemotherapy, I’ll let my hair grow,” John Hambrick said.
A three-term assemblyman, John Hambrick is running for re-election and faces a GOP opponent in the June 10 primary. No Democrat has filed in the race, so if he wins the primary he’ll likely return to Carson City, though he’ll still have to beat an Independent American Party candidate in the Nov. 4 general election.
While on chemotherapy, Nancy Hambrick said she often had a metallic taste in her mouth, making food flavors strange.
She has her heart set on going to the Olives restaurant at Bellagio to celebrate when she finishes chemotherapy in late June.
“I think what we’ll do is have a relaxing dinner about a week after my last treatment so I can taste it,” she said, laughing.
John Hambrick chimed in, “If you’re not laughing, you’re crying.”
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.
