Angels For Shannon
The Original "Angels for Shannon"!
We gathered together in WA with friends and family to celebrate my 7th anniversary of being cancer-free and free of domestic violence. Here is the inspirational song Heather sang that night, "Hey You."
Against all odds, I beat stage 4 breast cancer without chemotherapy at CMN Hospital. www.cmnact.com Thanks to their love and support, and belief in my choice. You all respected what I wanted.
I will never forget when I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and I did not want chemotherapy. My best friend Heather asked me, “Shannon, if you could have whatever you wanted for cancer treatment and money was not an issue, what would you choose?”
I said, “I can’t just say what I want! It costs too much money to do what I would choose.”
She said, “Yes, you can!”
I told her I wanted to go to CMN hospital in Mexico for alternative cancer treatment. She said, “Okay, fine! We will raise the money and get you there one way or another.” This is how “Angels for Shannon” was founded. They raised the money and got me there!
With her employer's permission, my daughter Jessica asked coworkers to donate their coffee money to help raise money to get me to Mexico. A couple of employees said they were going to donate each week until our goal was reached. This is an example of the initiative from a young girl humbly going to top management. She was grateful for every donation, and so was I.
They rallied bands together to play at Jazz Bones in Tacoma, WA. Gratitude does not even begin to cover how I feel. It is because of their call to action to love a friend and give me hope that is the reason I am alive today. They went above and beyond what I have ever experienced in any relationship in my life.
My angels got me to CMN, and I beat stage 4 cancer without chemotherapy. I was admitted to CMN Hospital on February 7th and was completely symptom-free in August 2011. Later, on October 15, 2011, my PET-CT scan confirmed that I had no evidence of disease! If not for their humble to me, their friend and sister, I would not be alive today. Angels for Shannon will always be a website resource to demonstrate to others how to hold events and go beyond crowdfunding. Every time I see the name of that website, I am reminded of who my angels are. There are some I will never meet and get the opportunity to thank. People came to the events from all over. I want to give gratitude to all my family and friends who helped save my life, including CMN Hospital and everyone who cared for a woman they did not even know. You did not just save my life; you changed it. You sparked a fire in me that wants always to pay it forward! I want to teach others how to find their heroes in their communities. We all can do it if we are transparent and humble about what we need. We can’t assume we know the answers. People are continually surprising more and more with their giving nature. I have learned that there are many good kind people out there, and there is hope!
