Скачать или смотреть Local breast cancer patient shares her journey to beat the disease

Shannon Hardy, a breast cancer patient at Community Hospital, is nearing the end of her rigorous treatment journey, with plans to finish in December.

Hardy has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy as part of her battle against breast cancer. Her treatment plan includes six rounds of chemotherapy, 25 rounds of radiation and participation in a clinical trial.

"I know I'm going to beat this. Today is tough, tomorrow will be better," Hardy said, emphasizing her determination to overcome the disease.

Hardy was an active person, preparing for a half marathon before her diagnosis turned her life upside down.

"I was a very active person and this is so that part of this journey has been hard too, is from going active, doing things all the time to laying on the couch a lot from not feeling well," she explained.

The emotional impact of losing her hair was significant for Hardy. "My hair was just falling out by the handful. And so it was I had to shave it and it was probably one of the most emotional journeys part of this journey was having to shave my head because, you know, as anybody you have your hair is part of your identity," she shared.

Hardy credits her family, particularly the desire to watch her daughter and grandsons grow up, as a major source of motivation. "It was really hard. I was like, I need to watch, watch my boys grow up. And so your head really goes into some pretty scary places before you actually get some good information from the doctors," she said.

Kristina Goutsouliak, a medical oncologist at Community Hospital, highlighted the importance of a strong support system during cancer treatment.

"During their cancer journey, you go through some of the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows for patients. And so really having a strong support system to help navigate to that, to help them with the treatment and the side effects from treatment," she stated.

Hardy has formed close bonds with the nurses and doctors in the oncology department at Community Hospital, which has helped her maintain a positive outlook.

"You really do have to still have that positive outlook because it really helps you get through the treatments, especially on those tough days," Hardy noted.

As Hardy approaches the end of her treatment, she looks forward to ringing the bell for victory in December, marking a significant milestone in her fight against breast cancer.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WesternSlopeNow.com. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WesternSlopeNow.com staff before being published.