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Michelene Shannon is well-aware of MD Anderson¡¯s vast resources and research ¨C she¡¯s been an employee here for 10 years. But in January 2014, Michelene¡¯s connection to MD Anderson became a lot more personal.

¡°The pathologist at MD Anderson¡¯s Undiagnosed Breast Clinic came in crying and told me it was breast cancer,¡± Michelene says. ¡°She cried harder than I did. All I could think was, ¡®Why me?¡¯¡±

The surprise diagnosis came during an especially demanding time. On top of her job, the 46-year-old was enrolled in two college courses and stayed busy with a teenage daughter. Even as an employee at MD Anderson, Michelene didn¡¯t know where to start. That¡¯s when her coworkers stepped up.

¡°I felt like everyone I worked with was calling around and asking for references on my behalf,¡± says Michelene, who had an appointment at MD Anderson¡¯s Nelly B. Connally Breast Center within a few days of her diagnosis.

¡°When I had my first appointment, Dr. Boozer came in with his entire team ¨C social workers, nurses, radiation techs,¡± Michelene recalls. ¡°They took care of everything from there.¡±

Balancing work, school and breast cancer

, and his team realized they needed an aggressive plan of attack for Michelene¡¯s equally-aggressive disease ¨C stage III triple-negative breast cancer. The first step? 16 rounds of chemotherapy.

¡°One form of chemo was so strong that I couldn¡¯t physically take it,¡± Michelene says. ¡°My taste buds diminished, I was constantly nauseated, and my fingers and toes were always numb from neuropathy.¡±

Again, Michelene¡¯s coworkers intervened. When she had to cut back to a three-day-a-week schedule, they divided up her workload and encouraged her to focus on the most important task ¨C beating cancer.

¡°I found that being positive and keeping with my normal routine as best I could gave me some sense of normalcy,¡± Michelene says. ¡°I definitely had help, though. My daughter oversaw household chores, my husband handled my doctor appointments and I had an understanding work environment.¡±

That attitude, coupled with her support system, enabled Michelene to balance her responsibilities at home, work and even school throughout her treatment, which also included a bilateral mastectomy, 30 days of radiation and reconstructive surgery.

¡°Because I was in school, I felt like cancer had to be an afterthought,¡± Michelene says. ¡°I knew I had to deal with it, but it wasn¡¯t at the forefront of my mind. Along with beating cancer, my goal was to get my degree in communication so I could move forward in my career at MD Anderson.¡±

Life as a survivor

A mere year-and-a-half later, Michelene has achieved both of those goals. She earned her degree and a no evidence of disease status.

¡°I¡¯m a survivor thanks to research and all of the support I received along the way,¡± Michelene says. ¡°My coworkers rallied around me, my daughter cooked dinners for me, my husband shaved his head with me. Once even sang to me before surgery to comfort me.¡±

When asked if she plans to return to school for a graduate degree, Michelene laughs.

¡°I don¡¯t plan on it, but I didn¡¯t plan on cancer either.¡±

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are two areas MD Anderson is focusing on as part of our Moon Shots Program to dramatically reduce cancer deaths. Learn more about our .