Cheyann Shaw was only 23 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on August 3, 2016.
At the time, she was finalizing the details of her wedding, which was set to happen in just over a month; she was an avid weight lifter who competed in bikini competitions; and she had just moved to Florida, away from the rest of her family.
Just three weeks after Cheyann was diagnosed, she began her first round of chemotherapy, an experience that left her feeling “tired but good.”
As the weeks passed however and Cheyann continued completing more and more rounds of intense treatment, her body began to show undeniable signs of wearing down. Her hair began to fall out and her toned physique – which she’d spent the past two years defining – was losing its form.
Cheyann lost about 30 pounds, was fitted with a colostomy bag after doctors had to remove part of her colon that had also gotten infected by the cancer, and also learned that her cancer had taken away her ability to have her own child.
“My life has done a complete 180 since being diagnosed,” Cheyann admitted. But she refuses to let these setbacks get her down.
Her most recent surgeries have been more successful at removing the cancer from her body; her doctors recently gave her clearance to return to the gym to begin working out again.
“The challenges I face moving forward are gaining weight back and getting the cancer out of my lymph nodes,” Cheyann said. “But my doctors are very hopeful that they can get the rest of the cancer out of my body. My goals for the future once I am cancer free is to compete in more fitness competitions and start a family.”
Cheyann and her husband know there is still a long journey ahead of them before the cancer is completely gone from their lives, but they’ve decided together that even until that day comes, they’ll always enjoy and live their lives to the fullest.
