Survivor Series: Candida Nelson

Candida Nelson is a woman with strong faith. It was that faith, along with her family and friends, that ultimately got her through her breast cancer diagnosis and continues to give her hope today as she monitors the disease.

She discovered her cancer in 2023 when she went in for a scheduled breast reduction. Upon conducting a CT scan and biopsy, her oncologist discovered the breast cancer was metastatic stage four and had moved to her spine and lymph nodes. This prompted doctors to do both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Faith, first and foremost, is what has led Nelson to this point in her journey with cancer.

“I’ve always been a very faithful person,” Nelson said. “I’ve had a love for God and a relationship with Jesus, so I clung onto that. Through it all, I think it has definitely grown my relationship even stronger with God. I got into the Bible, and I found a new church in Crown Point,” she said.

Initially, Nelson underwent scans every three months. Mentally, she felt like she was constantly on a three-month timeline. This is partly because she was not working as much, which meant she didn’t have as many distractions. 

“In the beginning, I think I felt a lot of, ‘I’m just here waiting to die,’ because I’m not working full-time like I was,” said Nelson.

While faith has played the most significant role in carrying Nelson through her diagnosis, the help and support she has received from her family have been key to getting her through it.

“I have four children and five grandchildren, and they have been a great support from the very beginning,” she said.

Her friends and fellow community members have also offered tremendous support. For example, when her family organized a fundraiser to help Nelson with her bills, Nelson’s friends and the community really came together to help her.

Nelson is a very active person, so having to rest was not easy for her.

“It was really hard for me to sit still, especially during recovery and between treatments,” she said.

To further help cope with the cancer, Nelson joined various cancer support groups, which have been very insightful for her.

“I’ve learned that a lot of people who have stage four cancer end up living for a long time,” she said.

In these support groups, Nelson acquired a particular hope connecting with women in similar shoes.

“It really gave me hope meeting other women who were in my same position in some form or another,” she said.

Her diagnosis and battle with cancer have put life into perspective for Nelson. 

“I feel like I’m more at peace now,” she said. “Things don’t bother me as much as they used to.”

Nelson finds herself recording less on her phone in an effort to just enjoy the moment with her children, grandchildren, and entire family.

Today, while she must still monitor her health, Nelson has gotten through the most difficult part of her journey. Regardless, she still has her faith, family, friends, and community in her corner.