Cancer survivors display a ''Wall of Hope'' banner at the beginning of the Relay for Life.

By Meredith Canales
Contributing Writer

When Schertz resident Debbie Shelton was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2004, she was, of course, saddened by the news.

“I got the news by phone,” she said, actually smiling while recounting her story. “I held it together on the phone while the doctor was telling me I had cancer. Of course, afterward I cried a little, but I just thought, ‘OK, what do I have to do to take care of this?’”

That trooper attitude might have been what helped Shelton beat the cancer. Two years later, though, in 2006, as she was returning from a trip to visit her son, she got a horrible stomach ache.

“My husband said, ‘That’s it, we’re going to (Brooke Army Medical Center),” she said, taking a deep breath and exhaling. “We went and waited, a long time, in the emergency room. They said I’d had an ulcer that ruptured, and I almost bled to death. Then, after they did all of their tests, they told me I had stomach cancer.”

Facing a second cancer after having beaten one already might be too much for most people to handle. But Shelton said that was never an outlook she considered.

“They had to take 85 percent of my stomach, which is killer for someone who loves to eat!” she said, smiling and laughing, holding her straw hat on her head as the wind whipped around her, causing her purple “survivor” shirt to flap in the wind.

Thin as a rail, Shelton ironically compared the stomach resection to a gastric bypass surgery.

Cancer survivor Debbie Shelton. Photos by Meredith Canales

One thing that helped her hold on was the love and support of the people surrounding her.

“My husband has just been so supportive,” said Shelton of her Boy Scout leader spouse. “All of the scouts and my family just rallied around me and helped out with whatever we needed. They were just great.”

As Shelton told her story, her husband, looking like an overgrown scout himself in his uniform, walked by and grabbed from her a huge staff. Attached to the staff were names on construction paper, fluttering in the wind.

“Those are the names of people who’ve lost their battle with cancer,” said Shelton, tearing up for the first time, as if thinking of others who were not as lucky as her caused her more grief than her own ordeal. “Scouts whose relatives or loved ones weren’t as lucky as I was.”

Shelton was one of a handful of San Antonio area cancer survivors who attended the Greater Randolph Area Relay For Life May 2, which was held at the Steele High School stadium in Cibolo. Marked by purple T-shirts matching Shelton’s, the survivors began with a ceremony to kick off the event. The youngest was 8; the oldest, 98. One woman was a 42-year survivor, having been diagnosed in the ‘60s.

“As a member of congress, I want to be your voice,” said State Rep. Henry Cuellar, speaking to the survivors and victims of cancer. “I want to be your champion up there. You are … real heroes.”

After Cuellar’s speech, Relay For Life committee member Michelle Sutton, whose dad had oral cancer in 1999, led a ceremony to present the survivors with medals. One by one, survivors stepped up and announced their names, their type of cancer and what year they were diagnosed. The survival, not the cancer, was a badge of honor they wore proudly over their hearts. Even the oldest members of the group managed to speak into the microphone and send out their message of courage and hope.

Joined by their caretakers and students from surrounding schools, the survivors camped out and set out on their plans to stay the entire night. The event ran from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, with the theme for the night being “A Night at the Movies.” Characters from Harry Potter wandered the football stadium-cum-campground and mingled with Spanish dancers and karate kids.

Through all the revelry, though, the message was clear: Everyone was there to bring awareness to a disease that affected them all.

“We’re just glad we can be here and try to help out all those people who need it,” said Shelton, flashing her characteristic smile. “It really is good to be able to do this.”