Sue Schuon works in the University of Michigan's School of Information. She is coordinator of Admissions and the Doctoral Program. Sue is also an MFit Walking Club member and a breast cancer survivor. Sue was diagnosed in June 1999 with breast cancer.

The strange thing is that this sizeable lump in her breast went undetected by both a mammogram and an ultrasound. However, Sue's doctor discovered a lump during a routine physical. The tumor was found to be malignant, and Sue underwent two surgeries. Sue credits the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center for their innovative treatments; treatments that, at the time, weren't available at many other hospitals in the United States or anywhere else in the world. Surgery was followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments - four rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. Among the side effects, these treatments caused a fungal infection, fingernails breaking off, hair falling out, eyebrows falling out, tremendous problems with concentration (something doctors call "chemo-brain") and almost debilitating fatigue.

"The fatigue was the worst," says Sue. "They have a medication that can lessen the common nausea of the treatments, but the incredible listlessness and fatigue are still there." Sue found that by forcing herself to get up and walk, even if only for 10 minutes a day, she was able to combat her fatigue greatly. The walking, along with a sense of humor and her daily knitting - Sue belongs to the Knit-Wits, a group that knits hats for the needy - helped Sue get through the worst of the treatment.

Anxiety was another symptom somewhat alleviated by exercise. "People are anxious because there are no guarantees with the treatment," says Sue. "About the only guarantee the doctors give with the treatments is to say that they guarantee your hair will fall out! Finding out all I could about treatment, medications, etc., really helped the anxiety too." Ruti Volk from the Cancer Center Patient Education Resource Center also helped Sue find resources on the Internet.

Another reason Sue kept up with the walking is because of the weight gain. "Most people assume that people lose weight during this type of cancer treatment," says Sue. "But in reality, most people actually gain weight during breast cancer treatment."

Sue returned to work full time in January. She is doing well, and her outlook on life is upbeat and positive. She is continuing with her walking program and shares that walking "was one of the things that helped get me though the treatments. I would have been a total lump otherwise."

Return to the top of the page