We are raffling a Bushmaster AR15 with a Red Dot Scope. To help with the enormous expenses Shannon has incurred now and in the future, we have set up this fundraiser in hopes of helping her keep up with her daily life. Please spread the word about our raffle and share with your friends and family. Together we can help make a difference in this most amazing woman's life!
Shannon's Story
On September 11, 2015, a man walked into a cold physician's room and declared, "What you have is cancer." Just like that. Just like that my life changed. Just like that time stood still. Just like that I felt like I had been shot. I immediately went into action and, within three hours, I had arranged more meetings and appointments than I had ever had in my life.
Just like that... I knew I needed a direction and I knew I needed a plan. My journey through breast cancer started with a phone call to one man, who completely changed my belief system. You see, I believed the only way to cure cancer was to trust in the medical profession and the chemotherapy and radiation they peddled. However, the nutritionist that I spoke with the same evening as I had received my diagnosis gave me a new perspective that would lead me down a path of clean eating, high dosage nutritional supplementation, and tinctures and tonics only found in remote parts of the world. I was doing everything right. I was following my protocols right down to the letter and was feeling better than ever.
Then one day in December I began having excruciating back pain, and, by mid-May, could not take it any longer. An MRI, and a subsequent PET scan, confirmed my worst nightmare - I had metastatic breast cancer in my spine. My stage 1-B breast tumor was now a stage 4 multi-tumor.
There are many ways that I have been failed during this ordeal, but that isn't what this is about. FACT: I have stage 4 breast cancer in my bones. FACT: I stand by the protocols that I began in September. I believe that they have worked and I believe that I am better because of them. FACT: This was metastatic before I was diagnosed in September. 10% of people diagnosed with breast cancer have mets PRIOR to their initial diagnosis. All of the clinicians on my treatment team agree that these tumors were in my spine BEFORE my initial diagnosis! FACT: There was a tumor in my spine and it was missed. FACT: I have been and will always be an advocate for my own health. I initiated and coordinated all aspects of my care and that alone is what saved my life. Had I ignored the lump in my breast in September (I had gotten a NEGATIVE mammogram report 6 days prior to finding the lump), I would still not know that I have breast cancer. Had I not pushed for the multitude of scans and tests that I had, then I would not know about the lesions on my spine. I knew something was not right, and despite being told by many physicians that they would not perform certain tests for me, I pushed on until I found someone who would write the order for the tests. The treatments that I have chosen and will continue to choose are very expensive. I have a team of conventional doctors at the University of Miami. You would think insurance would cover this, but they are refusing because I have chosen to leave the Lee Memorial Health System network (being an employee at Lee means you MUST use their physicians or they will not pay!) I have also chosen to work with an integrative team of physicians that coordinate
my holistic treatments with my conventional treatments. My supplements run between $1,000-$1,500 per month, not to mention my doctor's visits, tests, and monthly injections. I am truly the last person to ever ask for help from anyone, but this illness has provided me with great lessons in humility. I need help now more than ever for, not only me but my family, who have been just as impacted from this as I have been.
