No piece of her soul lost: Survivor of breast cancer shares story

When she shares her story, as she did Saturday, her main message is to keep a positive attitude and live in the moment because that's what kept her fighting, she said. Also, she said to “know your body" and communicate with doctors. Covington had to convince nurses and doctors to pay attention to her concerns following a breast self-exam, she said.

The tea is a celebration of survivors and a good opportunity to educate people about early detection, said Judy Hollingshead, chair of the tea party, LMH nurse and a breast cancer survivor.

“I don't think a diagnosis of breast cancer is a death sentence, and not too many years ago, that was how it was viewed," she said.

The tea party also turned into a hat party of sorts this year. Women were invited to wear outrageous hats, which included a jungle-themed hat and Covington's black top hat with a pink “Cancer Sucks" button.