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Working and Beating Cancer- How Christina Pickens Did it All
Officer Christina Pickens
At age 39, Christina Pickens, the current Captain of Day Security for Regional Jail East, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Finding out she had the BRCA 2 gene was just the start of her medical journey. She had a double mastectomy surgery in June of 2012 and started chemotherapy in August while also deciding to return to her night shift duties at the same time. “I decided I was going to work through it,” said Pickens when her family and doctors were all skeptical about the decision.
Walking into Jail East, you can see through everyone you meet just how important Officer Pickens is to their team. “As a leader I wanted transparency about my condition,” said Pickens. Being so open about her battle has created a safe space for co-workers and inmates alike to share their own struggles with cancer and how it has affected their lives. That sense of community she shares now with others was also her support system through her cancer fight. Everyone on her shift called to check in on her after surgery, the inmates made it a point to have “good days” while she was working and the Sheriff himself wears a pink tie during October and allowed Christina to wear a pink head scarf at work while going through treatment.
Cancer free for six years and still working for the Henrico County Sheriff’s Department, Officer Pickens focuses on what is ahead because she knows life is a gift and one that she may not have had. Her goals for the future are to complete the Leadership Development Program here at Henrico. She is finishing level four currently and will set her sights on level five next. Also, Officer Pickens has taken part in the FBI LEEDA Academy to further develop her leadership skills to coach and develop others within the job and hopes to complete these classes this summer.
Through all the struggles and triumph Officer Pickens has a message for everyone, “We are so busy taking care of others that we forget ourselves. Take time to take care of yourself as well.” Not only is Officer Pickens a fighter, but she is an advocate for helping others, one of her favorite aspects of the job, and it clearly shows every day she gets to work.