When it became clear that COVID-19 was going to hit Kentucky last March, Virginia Moore, the executive director of the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing called the Governor’s office. She wanted to be sure the more than 700,000 Kentuckians who needed a sign language interpreter were getting life-saving information as quickly and accurately as everyone else in the state.
Moore has been at Governor Beshear’s side nearly every day since until about a month ago when she announced she was battling uterine cancer. On Wednesday, she shared some good news. “They were able to get all of the cancer out. So at this point, they will just be following me for the next five years to make sure the cancer stays at bay but we think we got it all.”
During her video appearance, Moore thanked her medical team at U of L Health's James Graham Brown Cancer Center for her care and stressed the importance of self-care and early detection through mammograms and pap smears. “Please get yourself checked,” Moore said. “If I had waited just a little bit longer I would definitely be in treatment because it was one of the largest tumors they saw and it was invasive but just shy of having to have treatment.”
Moore expressed her gratitude for the countless prayers and well-wishes that were sent her way. “Your kindness that you showed me lifted me up and gave me the strength to go through this. It was overwhelming and just remarkable.” And she asked all Kentuckians to offer the same support and kindness to one another as we continue to battle the coronavirus. “I’m scared for myself but I’m scared for each and every one of you because this is not a virus any one of us wants or can get. Please use your mask. Let’s show kindness and understanding. Let’s do that one thing that we can do and that’s wearing the mask. Social distance. Let’s pull together as a community. Let’s show everyone else the support that you showed me.”
Moore said she needed to take time for a little more self-care and while she didn’t give an exact date, said she would be back in the Capitol Rotunda for daily Coronavirus press briefings soon.