North Bend woman’s breast cancer journey comes full circle
Kimberly Bumb is all about the go. The 50-year-old North Bend mom has two boys who keep her calendar full — one just graduated high school, and the other recently wrapped up his sophomore year of college.
Bumb has worked for Sean Sundwall Insurance, an American Family Insurance agency, for over 12 years, managing more than 660 contractors. She also has a passion for travel and got engaged in Greece earlier this year.
But on June 1, 2021, Bumb’s life came to a standstill when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
Keeping her spark
TNBC cells don’t have estrogen or progesterone receptors, and also lack or make too much of the HER2 protein, which helps breast cancer cells grow quickly. This cancer tends to grow and spread faster than other types, so Bumb’s Overlake Medical Center team had her start chemotherapy immediately to shrink the tumor before they surgically removed it.
Bumb dancing during her chemotherapy treatment.
Still, Bumb wasn’t going to let treatment stand in her way or get her down.
“I think staying positive and staying busy helped me through that year,” she explains. “I worked the whole time, and we traveled a lot.
“Chemo itself was super social,” Bumb continues. “Being able to come to a space to share experiences and be with people going through the same experience you are is invaluable.”
Finding joy and catharsis at Come Walk With Me
On the heels of completing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, Bumb’s best friend Jeannine Martindale — whose husband Chris serves on the MultiCare Good Samaritan Foundation board of directors — invited Bumb to participate in Come Walk With Me.
Bumb at Come Walk With Me in 2022.
The annual breast health 5K occurs the first Saturday of October, and walkers fundraise for breast health programs at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital and Good Samaritan Cancer Resource Center.
Bumb seized the opportunity and asked her family — including her mom, who is also a breast cancer survivor — to join her in walking for those with a cancer diagnosis, those going through treatment, those who have survived and those lost too soon to the disease.
On that foggy October morning in 2022, the music and dance lover was all smiles as Come Walk With Me began and upbeat tunes thrummed through downtown Sumner. She was moved to see so many Pierce County residents turn out for their community.
“I didn’t realize how emotional the walk was going to be for me,” Bumb shares. “I cried so many times during it.
“The biggest memory I have is walking into the stadium,” she adds. “And because football has been such a big part of our life, walking through all those teenagers really hit home for me. It was amazing.”
Life after cancer
Today, Bumb sits on the Come Walk With Me Committee and looks forward to becoming part of her fiance’s South Hill neighborhood. She’s also celebrating being officially cancer free and is grateful for everyone who invests in the cancer resource center.
“I absolutely would like to thank every single person and organization who has ever donated; those funds provide support for everyone going through treatments,” Bumb says. “It’s important because not only are there staff to help us answer questions, guide us through processes, but then also, they make you feel more whole. Specifically for women losing hair, providing wigs and styling and also makeup.”
