Everybody has a story, and Ginger and Jeff Edwards have a story to tell.
Ginger Edwards is an administrative specialist with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for Scotland and Richmond counties. Husband Jeff Edwards is a state trooper in Scotland County.
“I was devastated,” Ginger Edwards, 55, said about learning on October 25, 2025, she had breast cancer. “And it was very devastating to hear it was aggressive. It was a large tumor. Cancer … it’s hard to hear that word.”
The diagnosis was difficult for Jeff Edwards, too.
“It’s a pretty good blow when you’ve been married to someone 34 years,” he said. “It’s a shock. You don’t know what to expect.”
Ginger Edwards began chemotherapy in December at the Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment & CyberKnife Center on Owen Drive.
“Every 21 days I had chemo,” she said.
There was a double mastectomy in May.
“Your only choice is to be strong,” she said. “It’s the only way you can get through it. It will definitely take you down.”
Something you may want to know about Ginger and Jeff Edwards is that they are a couple devoted in their faith at New Hope Baptist Church in Laurinburg.
Jeff Edwards was with his wife for every step of this cancer journey, and Ginger Edwards recalls his words of encouragement and assurance.
“He is definitely my rock,” she said. “He said, ‘You’ve got Jesus, and you’ve got Jeff.’”
Jeff Edwards, 57, said it was difficult watching his wife undergo chemotherapy and seeing her sapped of her energy in the days and nights after each treatment.
“There were days when it was hard,” he said.
The state trooper of 25 years said there were times when he felt helpless seeing his wife undergoing chemotherapy.
Jeff Edwards said he and his wife put everything in the Lord’s hands.
“We laid this at Jesus’ feet,” he said. “Whatever his will is where we went.”
Today, Ginger Edwards says she is cancer free.
“God has been with me this entire journey,” she said.
‘We Wanted to Do Something Special’
Jeff and Ginger Edwards shared their story with other cancer patients on June 3 at the Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment & CyberKnife Center as part of Cancer Survivors Day. Jeff Edwards drove his wife to an immunotherapy treatment in a state patrol cruiser dedicated to raising awareness and supporting cancer patients and survivors.
The license plate on the cruiser read “SHP-HOPE.” Its hood is adorned with a large pink ribbon, which is the universal symbol for breast cancer awareness.
“We wanted to do something special,” Jeff Edwards said, adding that his wife wanted to “show our support” for other cancer patients. “A lot of people don’t know we have that car.”
Actually, the highway patrol has two cruisers to remind cancer patients throughout the state they are not alone in their oncology struggles.
“One is called ‘HOPE,’” Jeff Edwards said. “And one is for ‘CURE.’”
It also was to acknowledge the work physicians, nurses, and oncology healthcare folks who support receiving treatment and care at the Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment & CyberKnife Center.
“I had the best doctors and nurses,” said Ginger Edwards, a mother of three grown daughters. “God has truly blessed me with people I will never forget.”
You’ll hear no argument from Jeff Edwards.
“That cancer center works so well together—Dr. Leif Nordberg, Dr. Kenneth Manning, and Dr. Elizabeth Sawyer,” he said. “They know what needs to be done. They are the most compassionate people.”
Staff and cancer patients came out to see the cruiser.
“It was positive feedback for cancer patients,” Jeff Edwards said. “We later went to Carrabba’s, and a lady said, ‘My mom has cancer. Can we take a picture? The public will see that cancer affects people from all walks of life, even our families. We want people to know of our prayers and support and that we recognize their struggles.”
Epilogue
Jeff Edwards is counting his blessings that he is a survivor from prostate cancer 14 years ago, and that today his wife is a survivor, too.
“When they did the double mastectomy, the pathology report was no cancer,” he said. “The chemotherapy killed the cancer. As a result, she doesn’t need radiation. She is through with chemotherapy, surgery, and no radiation. Jesus is up there with a puzzle, and he’s putting all the pieces together. All the honor, glory and healing to him. Jesus gets every bit of the credit.”
With some help, Jeff and Ginger Edwards will tell you, from Dr. Elizabeth Sawyer, Dr. Leif Nordberg, Dr. Kenneth Manning, the nurses, and oncology staff at the Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment & CyberKnife Center.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
