“I’m still here.”: Meet our Client Sharon

Sharon

Sharon is a breast cancer survivor. “I had my yearly mammogram last week,” she said, “and I tell people, ‘Make sure you have your mammogram,’ because three years ago, at my mammogram, they found a stage 2 tumor in my breast. The mammogram saved my life.” 

When asked about her treatments, Sharon said she first had chemotherapy, then had surgery to remove the tumor, and then had to undergo radiation five days a week. “It was horrible,” she said. “Then they found a tumor under my arm. Then they took that out. The radiation for that was so painful—but I’m still here.” 

Originally from Jamaica, Sharon has lived in New York for forty years and considers herself a New Yorker. As a child, she attended church and Sunday school at a Presbyterian church in Jamaica–”we didn’t have a choice!”–and still considers herself spiritual. She had a long career as a bookkeeper in various industries in New York City. She was diagnosed just as she was getting ready to retire. “I just take it one day at a time,” she said.   

Having concluded treatment, Sharon is undergoing regular testing, imaging, and clinical breast exams with her oncology care team for surveillance. “But cancer is always at the back of my mind,” she said. “I ask myself, ‘Will it pop up again?’ But I tell myself to be grateful. I’m still alive. Every morning when I wake up, I thank the Lord for waking me up, for giving me another day, because some people don’t make it.”  

When asked how she first heard about God’s Love We Deliver, she said that a social worker from her oncologist’s office told her about it and filled out the paperwork for her. “I was dumbstruck about the tumor at the time and in shock.”

“I didn’t know what it would mean to get God’s Love meals. When my first delivery arrived, I was so surprised the service was actually real. And the meals have been coming ever since—and they are so good.”  

“When I had surgery to remove the tumor in my breast,” Sharon said, “I didn’t leave my house for three weeks. The pain was terrible, and there was no way I could go out on the street.”

“I live alone and didn’t have anyone to help me. So it was absolutely awesome not to have to worry about going to the grocery store, buying groceries, and coming home to cook. And there are certain things I can’t eat, and God’s Love tailored my meals exactly for what my body needs. I am so grateful. There’s nothing else like it in New York.”

With dietary adjustments from our Nutrition team, some of Sharon’s symptoms have been reduced, and she has been able to take less of a specific medication. 

When Sharon started chemotherapy, she said that the meals were a “particular blessing” because she had the treatment on Mondays, felt racked all week, and didn’t start feeling like herself until Friday.

“There was no way I could stand up in the kitchen and cook, much less go out to the store and put together a meal,” she said. “I love the God’s Love vegetables and their soups. With their meals, I can control my carbohydrates. I truly don’t have to worry about where my meals are coming from. I have something I can count on. And it is healthy, nutritious food.” 

When we asked Sharon what she might like to say to other women are struggling with breast cancer, she said, “One out of every eight women will be diagnosed with the disease. This is a staggering figure. It’s very, very difficult. It’s good if you have people in your life, people who care about you. My cousin, she’ll still call me every day. ‘Are you okay?’ she asks. So it’s nice to have people. But because we were in COVID when I had my treatments, nobody could visit me. My recovery was very lonely with all of the quarantining.”   

Sharon continues to struggle with loneliness—but she looks forward to seeing her driver with her weekly delivery. “When I went for my chemo treatments,” she said, “I was all alone. All of the other patients had their husbands or daughters or friends, and being alone was really not fun. But if you have people in your life, that helps a lot when you are going through it. You have to be so strong. You have to know that God is taking care of you, God is looking after you, and you don’t need anyone else to cheer you on.”