A year ago, Shana Glover was fighting for her life.
Today, she is a cancer survivor who inspires those walking the same difficult road.
Glover is the administrative assistant for nursing services at Memorial Health Care Systems in Seward and lives in Friend. Over a year and a half ago, she found a lump in her left breast while showering and scheduled a mammogram and ultrasound. The tests indicated a potential problem.
Further testing in January of 2024 found Stage 2 carcinoma in her left breast and ductal carcinoma pre-cancer cells in her right breast.
“I heard the word ‘cancer,’ and I instantly shut down, because all I can think of is ‘I can't believe this is happening to me,’” she said. “That's all you're concentrated on, but then you have to focus on doctors and appointments. But, you're still back here, going, ‘I have cancer.’ You just go into survival mode.”
The following month, she began chemotherapy, which uses strong drugs to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. She completed a round of chemotherapy every three weeks for six rounds. She got a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in July.
“It wasn't until I was done with chemotherapy and I was ready to get back to work that you realize the significance of what you just went through,” she said. “It's like you lost a whole year out of your life. You're just trying to get through to the next appointment and get through the next treatment and then the next surgery, and then the next treatment and then the next surgery.”
That same month, she started immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. She completed 11 rounds and finished in February of 2025.
At an appointment in August, she got the news that she is in remission.
“It was surreal,” she said. “I accomplished and defeated cancer, and it was the best feeling I could ever possibly have. Faith led me through all of this and hoping that it would all go away.”
She used MHCS as much as possible throughout her fight and credited her physician, James Plasek, and his nurse, Pat Howe, with doing a fantastic job working with her. She had to take time off of work for her treatments, so she enjoyed being able to keep in contact with her co-workers while getting treatment at MHCS.
“Seeing them in the hallways and seeing their smiles brought a little bit of hope to me and helped me feel way better,” she said.
Glover said, sometimes, people assume that everything is better when someone enters remission and their hair starts to grow back, but it actually takes the body six months to two years to heal from everything it went through. There are side effects, including neuropathy, bone pain and more.
She said the love of those around her also helped her through the fight. She got to see the best in people, and some of her biggest warriors were those she least expected.
Several of her co-workers and fellow community members who have had cancer reached out to her and became some of her biggest supporters. They answered her questions and helped her understand what to expect. Now, they are lifelong friends.
“It was just amazing to bond with women that had went through the same thing I did,” she said. “All of a sudden, you feel like you’re not alone.”
Now, she can help support people fighting cancer the same way that other survivors helped her during her journey.
“That’s really rewarding,” she said. “You went through something and now you have a purpose to share it.”
She said she enjoys working at the hospital that helped care for her during her cancer journey and continues to help others.
If she had not noticed the lump or gotten a mammogram early on, her treatment may not have been successful. So, she likes to share her story and encourage others to do self-exams, get tested for cancer and be advocates for their own health.
“It's easier to take an hour out of a year to get your mammo than taking a year out of your life with treatments,” she said.
