Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19 KJV)
DESTINY STEPS
GOD’S PLAN — Saddled by a dreaded disease with which her mother was diagnosed in April 2013, Dallas’ Shatal Ransom sensed that along with the fervent support from family and friends, she had her faith to rely on more than anything. Ransom learned of her breast cancer diagnosis last month.
DUNCANVILLE, Texas — Shatal Ransom could be appropriately described as a hardworking woman, one who customarily goes the extra mile to give her employer an honest day’s work.
Such was the case sometime in mid-September when Random showed up to work, anticipating yet another productive, pleasant day at the J-O-B.
Then just like that, adversity would ultimately surface in the life of a woman whom, as she tells it, found such an unlikely affliction difficult to stomach.
“I was at work when I received the news,” Ransom told Making Headline News this week. “I was in total shock. I broke down.”
That to which Ransom is alluding is her recent breast cancer diagnosis, a rather demoralizing, tear-jerking development that subsequently gave way to her suffering a brief meltdown, of sorts, particularly when she tried time and again to make sense of it all.
“Reality set in a couple days later after I found out I was also pregnant,” said Ransom, 40, a native of Dallas. “Yes, I cried, but not for long.”
Saddled by a dreaded disease with which her mother was diagnosed in April 2013, Ransom sensed that along with the fervent support from family and friends, she has her faith to rely on more than anything.
In essence, she pleaded with God unlike never before, never giving any thought to leaning unto her own understanding.
As Ransom acknowledged, her primary concern is more about not the staggering statistics surrounding breast cancer, but more so about how she’s destined to go about outlasting a disease that reportedly has disrupted the lives of more than three million women in the U. S.
“That’s when I gave it to God and said to myself, ‘I have no time for crying,’” Ransom recalled. “I have to be strong, because I have a baby on the way and I started to believe that I will beat this and that I am already cured.”
According to a July 2019 report by the Cancer.net Editorial Board, more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other cancer besides skin cancer.
This year, in fact, an estimated 268,600 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,930 women will be diagnosed with in situ breast cancer.
According to a July 2019 report by the Cancer.net Editorial Board, more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other cancer besides skin cancer.
Also, an estimated 2,670 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, the report cites, and it is estimated that 42,260 deaths — 41,760 women and 500 men — from breast cancer will occur this year.
October is recognized annually as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
As Ransom acknowledged, her primary concern is more about not the staggering statistics surrounding breast cancer, but more so about how she’s destined to go about outlasting a disease that reportedly has disrupted the lives of more than three million women in the U. S.
“My support system is awesome,” Ransom said. “My work family — the few I consider family — has been here for me non-stop, encouraging me, praying with me and for me. My family has also been here for me, especially my mother, who has been my rock during the whole process.”
Just like her mother has exemplified unyielding support in the wake of her daughter’s recent diagnosis, Ransom vividly recalls the times she had to fortify a sense of resiliency for her mother, who was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
“I was there for her during the whole recovery process,” Ransom explained. “It damn near killed me to watch her go through it, but she is a warrior and a survivor. Chemo almost killed her literally. It gave her an infection in her blood. I was told by the doctors I got her to the hospital just in time.”
AFTER YOU’VE SUFFERED AWHILE…
All things considered, Ransom said the poise and tranquility her mother displayed during her fight with breast cancer have provided her with a newfound disposition on life, especially since she’s now enduring a similar battle.
“She bounced back and is stronger than ever,” Ransom said. “She will forever be my shero. She also stayed on me to get my first mammogram and that’s how I found out. Just getting a routine mammogram and because of that, it was caught in the early stages.”
That she learned of her diagnosis in the infancy stages, Ransom is confident she will make a full recovery.
Just like her mother has exemplified unyielding support in the wake of her daughter’s recent diagnosis, Ransom vividly recalls the times she had to fortify a sense of resiliency for her mother, who was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
“Because of my unborn child, all of my doctors are working together to come up with the best plan for me and the baby due to the fact that I have had two miscarriages this year,” Ransom, a graduate of Dallas’ Lincoln High, said. “I have stressed to them how important having this baby is to me, so my only option is a lumpectomy at this time.”
A surgical removal of a discrete portion or lump of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or breast cancer, Ransom’s lumpectomy procedure is scheduled for some time in December, or in her second trimester, she said.
“I’m looking forward to having it done,” Ransom said. “After the baby is born, they will do another MRI and run more tests just to make sure that everything is okay.”
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“Reality set in a couple days later after I found out I was also pregnant,” said Ransom, 40, a native of Dallas. “Yes, I cried, but not for long.”
All things considered, Ransom said the poise and tranquility her mother displayed during her fight with breast cancer have provided her with a newfound disposition on life, especially since she’s now enduring a similar battle.
A surgical removal of a discrete portion or lump of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or breast cancer, Ransom’s lumpectomy procedure is scheduled for some time in December, or in her second trimester, she said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, producer, author, athlete, musician, barber, life coach, motivational speaker, cosmetologist, tax preparer, model, or pastor/minister who is seeking exposure and would like to share your story with an in-depth news feature, call Reporter Andre Johnson at 901-690-6587 or Facebook message him under “Andre T. Johnson” for details.
