An unexpected challenge
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 10, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Susan Sutton, a 13-year breast cancer survivor who volunteers each year with Relay for Life, is pictured at her LaGrange home in front of the Jeep her husband, Randy, bought her last year to celebrate her 12th year being cancer-free.
Susan Sutton was living an idyllic life.
She had graduated from Southern Wayne High School in June 1981 and two months later married her high school sweetheart, Randy Sutton.
In 1988, they had son, Jason.
After graduating from Wayne Community College with a dental hygiene certification in 1994, she worked in the field for several years.
But in May 2001, at the age of 37, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I woke up with a lump in my breast and it was hurting," she recalls. "I took Jason to school and came home and called my husband. He came home and took me to the family doctor, who immediately sent me to get an ultrasound and mammogram.
"The next day I had a needle biopsy and the next day a lumpectomy."
The lump turned out to be a fatty tumor, but beneath it was cancer.
"If not for the fatty tumor, I wouldn't have found the cancer until it was too late," she said. "Cancer. Didn't expect that. I had no family history of cancer. Praise the Lord for the fatty tumor."
A couple of days later, she had a partial mastectomy and some lymph nodes removed. Thankfully, none of the lymph nodes were positive but because of the size of the tumor she was considered Stage 2.
That June she started eight rounds of chemotherapy.
"The first one was awful and landed me at the E.R. I've never been so sick," she said. "About the first of July, I lost my hair and that was hard for me. My hairdresser, Donna Edwards, went with me to get two wigs before I started my treatments. She trimmed them to look like my hair.
"I would wear one for a week and then drop it off to her to style and wash it and I would pick up the other one to wear. That was a blessing."
Part of her journey led her to Meredith Stancil, who was also battling breast cancer.
"What an inspiration," Mrs. Sutton says now. "I'm not sure if I could've made it through my journey without her. We became like sisters.
"Meredith lost her battle in April 2004 and it was devastating to me. She taught me so much. But praise the Lord I know she is in heaven, walking on streets of gold and is cancer-free. I will see her again one day."
Despite all the challenges, Mrs. Sutton said she never questioned the interruption and upheaval cancer might have created in her life.
"I've never once asked 'why me,'" she said. "I know it is all part of God's plan and I trust in Him. Cancer has been a blessing to me, believe it or not. It changed my life for the better.
"Surround yourself with positive people and keep a positive attitude. Meredith taught me that. And I've learned not to sweat the small stuff. I know that things can change in the blink of an eye and all I can do is trust in the Lord for His guidance to get me through."