In their more than 15 years of marriage, Fred Blankenship and wife Paige Blankenship of WSB-TV Atlanta’s Channel 2 have dealt with life’s ups and downs. They were wed in 2004.
Fred’s wife is not only a successful professional and mother but also a cancer survivor. Read on to see how Fred and Paige overcome their health challenges and how their family enjoys life’s simple pleasures.
When she was 30 years old, Fred Blankenship’s wife received a cancer diagnosis.
According to their anniversary post in 2020, Fred Blankenship and Paige Blankenship had only recently begun their married life on September 3, 2004. Paige was close to 30 years old, while Fred was 32.
Sadly, after only one year of marriage, the Blankenship couple received distressing news in the fall of 2005. Paige underwent a full-body physical at her job to become familiar with the product she would help promote. Paige had recently begun a new job at Lifewellness Institute, a lifestyle medicine provider, to handle their marketing and client relations.
In a blog post describing her entire experience, Paige details her diagnosis and offers some advice for battling a fatal illness like cancer. She says:
She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at this physical, and she decided to have surgery as soon as feasible.
During the procedure, the doctors discovered that the patient’s cancer had moved from the left to the right side of her thyroid, as well as into her lymphatic system. The lymph nodes in her neck and chest were also removed, along with her entire thyroid.
Paige Persisted in Being Positive Despite Her Cancer Treatment
In her blog post, Paige stated that “cancer thrives in hostile situations.” She remained upbeat during her treatment as well.
Paige claimed that although it took her several months to physically recuperate from the operation and removal of the malignant sections of her body, her mental state never changed. She stated, “I underwent radiotherapy in the form of a tablet around four weeks later. My energy level didn’t return to normal for several months, but my optimistic view remained unfaltering.
She continued by stating that while she was afraid, she did not want her fear to control her thoughts.
Even after receiving cancer treatment, she still had health issues.
The two decided to start a family after Fred’s wife beat cancer and got back to being normal—or as normal as one can be after such a terrible experience. Freddie currently has three lovely children: a daughter named Layla, a son named Freddie, and a son named Jaden.
Before Paige had been cancer-free for eight years, the couple had all three of them. She writes on her personal blog about her desire to have a second child and expand her family to five. Her health, however, prevented her from doing so.
She yearned for a fourth child at the age of 38. She questioned her endocrinologist about whether she was too old to have another child at a normal checkup. She wasn’t too old, the doctor said, but she should get a full physical to see if she was healthy enough to have another child.
A battery of tests revealed that her blood contained thyroid cells. The testing went on anyhow because she shouldn’t have had thyroid cells in her.
She thankfully never developed cancer once more. She was, however, identified as having a Splenic Artery Aneurysm (SAA). The doctors warned her against getting pregnant since it might endanger both her life and the life of her unborn child.
Her medical issues hadn’t entirely disappeared. Four high-risk, uncommon tumors were discovered in her right breast during mammography in July 2015. Due to all the radiation exposure she had already experienced, this had happened.
Paige had to undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction in September 2015 at the age of 40.
Frederick Blankenship and Paige Keep having fun and living life to the fullest
Despite everything she has been through, she continues to surround herself with optimism and positivity. With her position as Director of Marketing at Havener Capital Partners LLC, three children, and three dogs—who even have their own Instagram accounts—she is currently living life to the fullest.
Paige also appreciates the minor pleasures in life, like packing her kids’ lunches. She gushed about her accomplishments on Twitter, including assisting her kids with their homework and making lunch for them.
Every event that Fred and his family participate in is documented on his wife’s Instagram account, including birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday celebrations.
