Allied Health Alumna and Cancer Survivor Serves Other Cancer Survivors

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Sally Eggleston thought she understood cancer's emotional impact in her radiation therapist role until her own cancer diagnosis in 2015 meant that she got first-hand knowledge. Now, she uses this understanding to help support cancer survivors, even after treatment ends.

Eggleston graduated from the radiation therapy program at the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health and became a radiation therapist specializing in radiation oncology. She has always had a strong desire to help cancer patients, which has manifested in teaching other aspiring radiation therapists and a range of jobs working with patients navigating life during treatment.

Just before Christmas in 2015, Eggleston got the diagnosis that would change her life and her career. At the age of 48, she found out she had breast cancer.

“I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, which, while an early-stage cancer, was very aggressive,” said Eggleston. “I was lucky because I knew people who could help, and I could go where I could get the best treatment. My husband was supportive, and I was receiving chemotherapy within two and a half weeks of my diagnosis.”

The cancer treatment meant that Eggleston had to uproot her life and work hard on getting well. However, she found that while her body changed during that time, she also experienced many changes emotionally and relationally. Her perspective changed, making the emotional realities of cancer deeply personal and tangible. Her most impactful revelation lay in the fact that after treatment was over, some of the biggest hurdles still lay ahead. Namely, how to go on after surviving this harrowing experience and what living and working after cancer treatment would look like.

“I worked throughout treatment, and when I completed treatment, I knew that I had changed, but no one around me had changed,” she said. “I had no idea of the devastation of cancer emotionally; I had no idea that survivorship is harder than treatment.”

These ideas on survivorship led Eggleston to explore ways she could help both cancer patients undergoing treatment and also those who have reached the survivor stage. In her current role, she focuses on bridging gaps in the cancer journey, providing resources and support for people facing similar battles.

"There are more than 18 million cancer survivors in the U.S., and many are of working age," Eggleston said. "We must create environments that support their continued employment and well-being."

Eggleston will share her insights on survivorship and supporting cancer patients for the long term at the Barbara Curcio Lectureship for Allied Health Week at the University of Oklahoma on Nov. 6. She will discuss the emotional and physiological effects that accompany a transition from intensive medical care to the new “normal.” For more information or to RSVP for the event, click here.