Life
survivor, servant, sunshine
these are just a few words that describe Tammy Barnett
Survivor is an understatement when
talking about Tammy Barnett. After being
diagnosed with stage-3 breast cancer in
2017, Tammy fought it head on and after opting
for a double mastectomy, multiple rounds of
chemo, and then reconstructive surgery, she is
in remission… of breast cancer. In 2019 she was
then diagnosed with lung cancer, though it is
dormant, it is the ‘what ifs’ that Tammy won’t
allow to stop her from continuing to live every
day like it is a gift.
Tammy has never lost her positive outlook on life.
“A lot of it is that you have to keep positive and
keep pushing,” she said. “You cannot lay down and
let it beat you. You have to overcome.”
The beautiful gift of love and outpouring she has
experienced through this time has shown her
the surprising kindness of others and that good
still exists. From fundraisers, that helped her
maintain her necessities through her medical
downtime, to the overwhelming love and support
of her family and friends that are like family
“framily”, Tammy is so grateful.
Overcoming is what Tammy does. Without
skipping a beat, every day Tammy is up and
about, work, friends, family, travel, she refuses to
miss any part of what life has to offer. “To rise up,
you have to get out of bed,” she said. “You can’t
just lay in bed with depression, you have to get
up. You must get out of bed. you have to move.
You have to get back into the swing of things.
You can’t let things hold you back, whether it is
cancer, COVID, whatever…I’m pushing forward
and refusing to give up.”
If she looks familiar it may be that you have
seen her at her job as a server at the highly
awarded Latin cuisine restaurant in downtown
Lakeland Nineteen61. For the last 5 years, Tammy
has been there serving you not only some of the
best flavors around town, but also the friendliest
smile, sweetest southern charm, and the most
knowledgeable and professional service you’ll
find.
“Serving others is what brings me joy, meeting
new people and variety of conversations, but
also building the relationships that are like family
with my regular patrons that makes what I do so
valuable to me.”
Tammy on her way to work
for first time with wig.
22 WomanToWomanMagazine.com
/WomanToWomanMagazine.com
