Undergoing radiation treatments for many is a difficult test of courage. For one woman in the Region, however, her treatments brought her closer to a stranger in an unexpected manner. Shelly Sunderland was sitting next to a patient prior to their first time facing the process, and after finding that out, Sunderland took into her hand the hand of the first-timer and assured them it’d be alright by saying, “It’s easy-peasy lemon-squeezy.” Thus began her story of remaining a fearless braveheart, one bold enough to encourage others going through hardship, even in the face of something as scary as cancer.
Sunderland herself was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2022. She had been on a weight-loss journey with a friend of hers until she hurt her shoulder, which ultimately prevented her from pushing through the injury completely because of the pain. It got to a point where she couldn’t lift her arm. One day she was in the shower, and then she discovered the worst in the form of a lump where no one would favor it to be.
Sunderland was accompanied by her husband and her best friend when she received the diagnosis from her doctor. The breaking of the news wasn’t easy for them to bear, bringing shock and bewilderment. Fortunately for her, though the update was challenging to take in, she realized then that she had the right people around her.
“I was prepared to hear the words, but mentally I wasn’t,” she said. “My doctor walked out of the room, and I broke down and said to my husband, ‘How am I going to tell the grandkids?’ My doctor heard that, came back, and stood there talking with us about how I was going to tell them. I wasn’t just a client, and that I was grateful for.”
Surrounded by loved ones, Sunderland didn’t boldly confront her condition alone. She had her daughter comforting her from day one. Her grandson and granddaughter were sources of support for her – after school, they used to come to her house and use a little stepladder to speak with her through her bedroom window as she lay recovering in bed. She had her friend Tammie, too, who would travel from Culver, Indiana, to take her to every one of her chemo appointments. Groups of her friends would prepare dinners for her, then lend their shoulders whenever she needed to cry.
More than anybody else, Sunderland’s husband has been her lifeline throughout her struggles with cancer. He was there for her during her earliest days navigating it, and now he remains through any of the complications it brings her today.
“My husband was my biggest supporter. I wouldn't have made it without him. When he said, ‘sickness and health,’ he meant it, and he kept that promise,” she said.
The welcoming presences of friends and family weren’t the only reasons Sunderland decided to push on particularly when it was hard to do so. They assisted her through the difficulties, but not in just one way. She was motivated by them, driven to show them that she was eager to handle her hardship head-on. After her double mastectomy, she’s felt empowered by her granddaughters and other women in her life to embrace her body. These days, she’s constantly finding she wants to send a message of encouragement, a message she even remembers in order to enliven herself.
“It’s really me who says I have to be the one to do this; I have to be the one to show everyone that I am strong enough to manage this. My breasts didn’t make me who I was or who I am,” she said. “I want my granddaughters to know that we as women can be beautiful no matter what shape, size, or color we are.”
Sunderland’s grandchildren have always been the best kinds of distractions for her, whether it be soccer games or volleyball matches—being a sports-oriented family, there are plenty of those to attend. Missing out on bits of their lives from time to time did present itself as a challenge, but their living across town, as well as FaceTime, has made matters concerning quality time and spending it together easier.
Sunderland spent years on a dart team. In her free time, she loves taking part in rib cookoffs. Last year she was in one at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Michigan City, and in years past, she’s visited La Porte’s Sunflower Fair. She’s earned herself many trophies. All in all, she loves the art of cooking, and she would often cook for the oncology staff who tended to her. Her grandson helped her pick out desserts.
Moving forward, Sunderland hopes to see more awareness regarding breast cancer. It’s her desire for there to be more of an understanding amongst women that the risks are real. All it takes to be braced for them, if they ever come, is knowing. Regardless of whatever happens, she subscribes to the idea that beauty will forever reign supreme.
“I have the placard Planned Parenthood gave us years ago, and it showed you how to give yourself a self-breast exam. I wish the high schools would hand those out. Had I not known my body, I don’t know what I’d have thought,” she said. “I want women to know we’re beautiful, and I want them to feel comfortable knowing their bodies: our lumps, our bumps, and our flaws.”
