After being blindsided with a breast cancer diagnosis twelve years ago, Sherry Anderson is ready to provide love and encouragement to her fellow survivors at the 2022 annual Relay for Life.

On April 31, 2010 Anderson received the news that would alter her life’s trajectory. The word ‘cancer’ came as a shock to Anderson.

“I just kept thinking ‘Cancer? Me? There’s no way.’ I had just gotten a mammogram nine months ago, I had always gotten yearly checks. Nobody in my family had ever had cancer. It was just so shocking, your life just comes to halt,” Anderson said.

Despite previous exams showing no signs of cancer, Anderson’s had rapidly advanced to a Stage 3 diagnosis.

After a two year stretch of chemotherapy, Anderson’s doctors brought an end to her treatments.

“I was so excited, but I didn’t even really know what was happening. I remember saying one day how happy I was to have completed my chemo, and my son told me ‘No Mom, you didn’t finish. They had to stop because it was killing you. He was right though, I’m not a big girl anyway. I’m 5’2” and normally weigh around 115 lbs, but after two years I was 86 lbs. bald and grey,” Anderson said.

Anderson recalls the anger at being sick and “watching life go by around her without the energy to do anything.”

She felt a shift after a conversation with her oncologist.

“I remember I asked my doctor one day, ‘When do you consider yourself a survivor?’ and he told me ‘Every day that you wake up’,” Anderson said.

For the past twelve years, with the exception of the last two events — one due to covid restrictions, and one due her chemo treatments — Anderson has brought her positive outlook to the annual Relay for Life walk.

While the event is used by the American Cancer Society to raise funds for cancer research, Anderson says that it is the encouragement from the community that is the most important reason for attending.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is for people to show up. For one, it is just a fun day out for the family. But for the survivors to see all those people out cheering them along, it’s just the little boost that helps them keep chugging along.”

Anderson now spends her time working at Walmart on AL 157 and enjoying her eight grandchildren.

“Life keeps going. It’s my faith and my family that keep me going. I don’t know why the Good Lord decided to keep me here, but I know that everyone has a purpose.”