DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Mary Diggs-Garris has a lot to be proud of, a beautiful family, a successful teaching career, and a recently earned Doctorate in Education. She also has a lot to be thankful for.
“I’ve always been very appreciative of everything,” she explained. “When you have something like that happen so young, you learn to appreciate literally everything.”
Diggs-Garris was just three years old when doctors diagnosed her with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer affecting the eye. While she hardly remembers the diagnosis and treatment, her mother recalls it vividly.
“It was very traumatic,” noted Nancy Chambers. “When we chose to do radiation, they told us there is a possibility that it would kind of delay her, she would not perform as well academically, basically. That was a hard choice.”
Throughout Diggs-Garris’s illness, the family put their faith in Dr. Edward Buckley, an opthalmologist at Duke, and while she may not remember much from that time, she remembers how much her mom trusted him.
“I can remember her saying, ‘Whatever Dr. Buckley says to do, we’re going to do it,” she said through tears.
Now, nearly 30 years after he started treating Diggs-Garris, Buckley is chair of Duke’s Department of Ophthalmology. He was recently surprised to find an email in his inbox with the title, “You saved my life in 1995.”
The email came from Diggs-Garris and read, in part, “I am forever grateful for you. I know I was not expected to do much due to the radiation and all, but yesterday I earned a Doctorate in Education. I am also a state-ranked educator in NC — I am beyond blessed! Thank you for not giving up! Thank you for everything!”
“It was at the end of a long day,” Buckley recalled. “You read that kind of a note, and you know what, you remember why you went into medicine and why you like what you do.”
Diggs-Garris believes her success, and ability to adapt, can serve as a lesson to the students she teaches. Although she lost all vision in one eye, she learned to acclimate to a different way of seeing the world, and found success in school, sports, and in every aspect of life.
She said her mother always believed in her abilities.
“I really don’t think I could make it this far without my Momma the entire way,” she said. “She would always push me to be my best self. She would always remind me, ‘You were chosen; you are special; you can do this.”
When she returned to Duke for follow-up appointments, as a child, she remembered how impressed Dr. Buckley was with her abilities, and even so many years later, she wanted to share her success with him.
“He probably never would’ve guessed, not only did I get the Bachelor’s Degree, I got the Master’s, I got the Doctorate in Education.”