Article by Eric Shachal

Cancer,

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

“My middle son was graduating from preschool, and I remember sitting in the stands where he was graduating in his little church preschool, thinking, what if this is the last graduation I ever see my kids have? I’m not ready for that,” said Anne Shachal, a neonatologist at Stanford Children’s Hospital, a mother, and survivor of the second leading cause of death in the United States, cancer. She is one of the 1.6 million people per year who develop cancer. Shachal was 37 when she got her initial breast cancer diagnosis. It’s been 10 years since the phone call from the hospital telling her she’s cancer positive and despite still struggling with metastatic cancer (an incurable form of cancer where it spreads to another part of the body), Shachal has lived to see many more graduations. Anne Shachal’s perspective on cancer demonstrates the importance of maintaining a positive outlook on life despite a terminal diagnosis.

Anne would endure long and strenuous days Monday through Friday for 7 weeks straight having chemotherapy. She would sit for about six hours with an IV delivering the chemotherapy into her chest every session. “She would sit in their chemotherapy chair for hours on end, and when she would come home, generally she would be okay but then the next day she would be kind of out,” stated Oren Shachal, Anne’s wife. Anne lost her hair and was out of work for 6 months. Basic needs like cooking and taking care of her kids (3, 5, and 7 years old at the time) were nearly impossible to do with not only the mental and physical burden of cancer.

The devastating truth is that hundreds of thousands of women across the globe have to deal with this heartbreaking situation each year. According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women are likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common cancer observed amongst women (that isn’t a skin cancer) and over 43,000 women die from breast cancer each year. When you see a number of deaths that extreme, it can be hard to empathize with families and individuals going through something so life-changing but with each of the average 247,850 breast cancer cases each year (Alteri), a very large portion of society is experiencing the hardship of having or knowing someone who has cancer.

With such a steep hill put in front of you, it can be difficult to climb. It takes a huge deal of perseverance and determination to power through the marathon of cancer. Anne found that her

biggest motivation through her cancer journey was her three kids. “I need to be here to see them progress through life to get them to college, to get them beyond, and see them become adults,” Anne stated while starting to tear up. “I remember at one point laying in bed and thinking, I’m going to have to teach my husband how to comb my kid’s hair correctly, because what if I’m gone? What if I die? And the kids, I don’t want them to have messy hair,” (A. Shachal). Her maternal role never left her mind despite difficult circumstances.

Anne isn’t the only one who’s used their maternal role for motivation. In fact, most women in this position “preferred to take care of their own health so that they could meet their children’s needs, because, within many families, much of the daily mother’s responsibility was keeping the family healthy,” (Hossein Safizadeh). With this information known, it’s obvious that the happiness that a parent derives from their family is worth pushing through such a big obstacle.

Given Anne’s position and stance on her family, it’s worth it to her to push through the tough times to see her kids grow. Regardless of Anne’s health issues “... her kids were number one,” (O. Shachal). Oren described how Anne would always carry a picture around in her wallet of her, her husband, and three children, to keep her motivated and remind her of what she’s fighting for. She would show the doctor the picture every single time she went in for something cancer related and told them that’s what she was fighting for (O. Shachal). Anne’s determination should be an inspiration to anyone experiencing life’s struggles.

After 8 months of nonstop treatment, “...follow-up scans from that showed that I was cancer-free.

The cancer was nowhere else in my body, and so we were just managing the cancer or trying to keep the cancer away from that time on,” (A. Shachal).

Anne views her cancer journey as a learning experience. “Not every life experience is good, but they’re all good to have,” she said to me on the way home from the interview. Anne’s biggest takeaway from her journey was her positive outlook on life. “I think really what we leave with people are experiences and memories and I want to make all the best I can with the people that I love. So it’s motivated me to

really not sweat the small stuff and to make the memories with the people that I love,” replied Anne when asked about her mindset shift post-cancer. When your life is threatened in such a severe way, it’s easy to see how delicate human life really is. That’s why Anne’s philosophy is more centered around making great memories while she’s still here rather than getting worked up about smaller issues.

Anne’s kids are now 17, 15, and 12 years old and she’s seen six more graduations from schools since she got the initial diagnosis in 2012. Anne really learned how to live each day like it’s her last and make sure she walks away from life with a legacy that her family and community will remember. In April of 2022 she took a trip to Italy with her family and wants to continue traveling and doing things that her family will remember. “I want to keep working. I love the job I do. I love the work I do. I want to see my kids off to college. I want to see them move into their first apartments,” stated Anne. What lies ahead for her is no different than what would lie ahead for her in a universe where she never got the cancer diagnosis. The difference is the goals are more urgent for Anne now that she understands how precious life truly is.

Anne’s cancer journey is something that everyone should be aware of and inspired by. Cancer is merely one hurdle that life can throw at you but it’s important to push past it and be grateful for every day you’re above ground. “Remember that tomorrow is not a given and not to take that in a morbid way, but to take that as a celebration to really embrace every day and take that trip to Paris that you’ve always wanted to take. Don’t put it off until your retirement. You know, indulge in things that make you happy and indulge with your family whenever you can, because those are the meaning of life,” (A. Shachal).

About the Author

Eric Shachal is a Junior at Mountain View High School and Freestyle Academy. After school you can usually find him out with is friends, listening to music, watching sports, or making films which he plans to study in college. Eric has a close relationship with his family which he values more than anything in the world. His biggest inspiration is his mom.