SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHT
Shannon Roberts: Turning Trauma Into Triumph
By Genevieve Branco
Shannon is no stranger to major medical trauma, having had a pacemaker for 23 years. Perhaps it’s because of her past medical experiences that she has adopted the undeniable resilience and positivity that she has today – the same resilience and positively that helped her through breast cancer. I could also tell, as I sat across from her smiling, hopeful face, that her support system (such as her youngest adult son, Jackson, who was engaged with us during our interview), and her faith, also had made a huge difference in her ability to overcome this medical challenge. Although Shannon’s story isn’t complete yet – she is awaiting surgical breast reconstruction – she is officially cancer free! I personally guarantee that if you spend any time with Shannon at all you will find yourself enveloped in the spirit of victory that exudes from every part of her. Here’s the story of how Shannon turned her trauma into triumph and not only conquered cancer, but healed hopelessness, washed away worry, and pummeled pessimism!
It was a during a routine gynecological exam on May 31, 2023, that Shannon’s doctor found a lump in her right breast. That wasn’t alarming to Shannon at first, being that she previously had benign cysts removed from her left breast more than once. The following week she had her mammogram, then an ultrasound, and on June 15, her biopsy. By the 19th the surgeon was calling her to have her come in and discuss the next steps. It’s a day that stands out to Shannon because she was on her way to participate in a photo shoot which would serve to advertise the drumming fitness class that she taught, and despite just finding out she had cancer, she would later look back at the photos from the shoot that day and think, “I looked so strong.”
Shannon was diagnosed with right invasive micropapillary carcinoma. It was a grade three tumor.
Shannon knew early on that the best course of action for her, personally, was a double mastectomy. She felt that would be the best way to be able to rest assured that she had removed all the cancer and enable her to worry less in the future. So, on August 1, she had her five hour surgery to remove both her breasts with a nipple sparing surgery, and one lymph node, as well as have her expanders added, which would eventually aid in her having breast implants. Her recovery from the surgery went well. The worst part for Shannon was the drains, but her son, Jackson, almost instinctually took over and became her nurse, helping her for those difficult 10 days. She then had 25 rounds of daily full-wall radiation, that started October 25, and then followed that up with chemotherapy in December.
Although Shannon didn’t have a terrible time with the radiation (besides the fatigue), she did suffer from the burns. In fact, she lost part of her nipple that had been spared. The worst part, though, was that she started the chemo just a week after the radiation was finished and the chemotherapy exacerbated the already tender burns. And just because Shannon can’t do anything like everybody else, she had to have her port-a-cath for chemotherapy put into her thigh. No, but really, the truth was that because she had a pacemaker on her left and not enough tissue on her right to place the port-a-cath in the “normal” place, her smart medical team chose to put it into her leg and run the tube through her groin and into the heart.
She remembers that she shaved her head right before Christmas. She was scheduled for four rounds of chemotherapy but only did three because she began having the side effects of neuropathy. In the middle of all that, in November, Shannon had her 50th birthday.
Jackson wasn’t her only support during all of this – although he did so much, from medication management, to nurse, to chauffer. Her husband also was an incredible support, taking over almost every aspect of running the household. Her eldest son, Carson, moved back home for 8 weeks (he’s 25) to offer support, and her middle son, Dylan (22), was also incredibly helpful. Shannon reflects back on the fact that her sons watched one of their grandmothers battle leukemia for many years, and thinks that might have contributed to how strong and caring they behaved during her illness.
At one point, early on in her illness, the family sent her over to stay in the RV at the beach. As a guise they sent her ahead of them, telling her to get the RV prepped for them to come join her for the 4th of July. But secretly, they took advantage of the time she was away, and did a mini remodel of the house – freshening up paint, flooring, backyard landscaping, and more, so that she would have a serene and beautiful home to be in during treatment and recovery. They just wanted to take one stress off her shoulders, so she would have a nice place to have friends and family come to visit, and a tranquil place to relax while she was getting better. She is also fortunate to have her own parents close by, and they, as well as many others, encouraged her daily with kind words, cards, flowers, and overwhelming support.
Shannon got involved with Links for Life because she ran into Jennifer Henry at a different cancer event. They had been friends for years because of their children’s mutual activities, but Shannon had never realized what Jennifer did until she talked to her that day. Shannon started volunteering in the Links for Life office, and found that seeing women come in and get fitted for wigs, as well as talking to other survivors and those currently undergoing treatment, was incredibly heartwarming and encouraging to her. She said it helped her find hope and strength as well. She also started attending the newly diagnosed group virtually.
Today, Shannon continues to give back to the breast cancer community through Links for Life and other fundraising efforts. She has taught a drumming class at Links for Life to help people of all levels enjoy exercise and regain their strength. She continues to support and get support through the newly diagnosed group that Links for Life offers, while she waits for her next breast surgery which will be in July.
Although I think it’s inaccurate to say that Shannon minimizes her tragedy or the difficulties she faced, I do think its accurate to say that she triumphed over it. She didn’t triumph just because she survived. Her triumph wasn’t the day she was declared cancer-free. Her triumph is, and was, every single day. Every single day during treatment Shannon made choices – however hard – to remain positive. She chose to surround herself with positive people. She chose to update social media with positive comments about her journey. And don’t get me wrong – it’s not that Shannon was faking it. No, she’s probably one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met. Shannon’s positivity was real. She made a decision to fill herself and surround herself with hopefulness, optimism, and favor. She politely removed herself from negative energy and became very intentional with how she spent her time and who she spent it with. And this is something she continues to do each day. (I suspect it’s deeply rooted in the person that she is, at the core of it all.) Hearing her story, it’s almost hard to get her to talk about the negative aspects of her journey, because she’s sort of thrown away those thoughts, and replaced them with courage, strength, and hope.
Her advice to those effected by breast cancer is to choose who you want to be vulnerable with and to give yourself grace. I certainly appreciate the honesty and vulnerability that she shared with us, her Links for Life family, through this interview, and I feel blessed to have told her story.
