Shyreece Pompey
Q: Who are you?
I am an author, an advocate, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a spouse of 30 years. I turned 50 in early 2021. I live in Woodland, California with my husband while providing childcare for my two grandchildren when I can. My church community, ALK-Positive community, and advocates, friends, and family across the globe (via Zoom, email, phone, or social media) really support me during my cancer journey in every way that they can. I'm thankful for God and my support systems.
I moved to Woodland, California from Coloma, Michigan in June 2019 to help my son with his two little children while he took on a a new job. Between my routine cancer care appointments, I love to care for my grandchildren and grow with my new community. I'm coordinating a community event called Better Together Serving Woodland that encourages local agencies to share information at a single fair with the goal of helping economically challenged families get connected and get assistance. I've also invited community agencies and other faith-based organizations to participate in bringing awareness to domestic violence and drug addiction in addition to lung cancer.
Q: How are you connected to lung cancer?
I was diagnosed on March 14, 2014, with stage IV, ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). My birthday is on Valentine's Day, and I'd just turned 43 years old. The diagnosis came two weeks after being hospitalized after a VATS procedure that sealed my pleural lining. The procedure was effective for me, and I started crizotinib as a first line of defense in April 2014. I successfully stayed on crizotinib for 36 months. When brain metastasis were found it became clear that crizotinib was no longer effective, and I started alectinib in May 2017.
On March 14, 2021, I celebrated my 7-year cancerversary. May 2021 makes it 48 months for me on the targeted therapy alectinib. I have learned how to manage specific noticeable side effects. I am proactive and advocate for myself and others. I take on adventures, like skydiving in July 2017. It was wild. Oh boy, just like I did when I was free-falling from the sky, I pray through every aspect of my cancer journey.
It took some time to get to a place of peace, but I am happy and am okay with what happens when my treatments change. I have HOPE! When I was diagnosed with cancer in March 2014, I refused to ask God, "Why me?" Instead, my response was, "Thank you, God, for all you've done for me." Staying in a surrendered posture helps me walk humbly with my God through my suffering. It has been seven years now for me, and as Maya Angelou would say, "I wouldn't take NOTHING for my journey now." I wrote about my first six years of living with this cancer in my book called HOPE: It Will Not End with My Death. My faith teaches me that everything is working for my ultimate good in life now and eternity.
I am MORE than my cancer
I am more than my lung cancer diagnosis.
I am more than my quarterly appointments with the cancer center
I am more than my MRI test results.
I am from majestic snow-capped mountains in Echo Lake, CA.
I am from African wood-sorrels or Bermuda Buttercups lying in an open field.
I am from the Washington navel orange tree planted over a hundred years ago in front of the State Capitol building in Sacramento, CA.
I am one of many success stories for Genetech, the manufacturer of the targeted therapy treatment I take daily.
I am a friend, mother, daughter, wife, teacher, encourager, leader, grandmother, advocate, and a Believer in Jesus Christ.
I am more than my lung cancer diagnosis.
Q: Why are you excited about The White Ribbon Project?
What I love most about The White Ribbon Project is that we are literally a voice for ALL lung cancer patients. Smokers and non-smokers. I cringed when friends and family said that I “must have been a closet smoker" after they learned about my diagnosis. Friends and family automatically thought that my cancer was caused by smoke even if it was secondhand. Instead of cringing at folks' ignorance, I now take the time to educate them and spread awareness.
As the first official member of The White Ribbon Project, I'm thrilled to be asked to share my story with you. When I first saw Heidi’s White Ribbon, I reached out to her immediately to have one sent to me. I take it with me everywhere I go, and I absolutely love taking pictures in front of landmarks like the State Capitol building in Sacramento, Echo Lake, Stanford Health Care, Facebook Place in California, UC Davis, and more. I often meet people along the way who know someone with a lung cancer connection. And we can share our stories and grow positive aspects of the lung cancer community.
Q: What else do you want to share with the lung cancer community?
I wrote a book titled HOPE: It Will Not End with My Death. It is an authentic, real-time account, written in a journal-like format (with medical notes) about how I live THROUGH my cancer journey. This faith-based primer is for anyone experiencing adversity. I also wrote Fruititude. This book uses personified fruit characters who go through relatable circumstances with which individuals and families can use to heal from traumatic experiences.
When I wrote the book Fruititude: Growing Spiritual Virtues through Adversity I made sure the personified fruit character named Blupaul has a WHITE RIBBON on his shirt so that I can intentionally talk about lung cancer, the stigma that comes with it, and the research or funding that is still needed. Therefore, when I do awareness events I bring my White Ribbon made by Heidi and my Fruititude plush teaching toys so that I combat the stigma of lung cancer on all fronts (spiritually, physically, and mentally).
I also want to share my thoughts with other people with lung cancer regarding how can they can stay motivated and use positivity, productivity, and the adversity of their diagnosis to put themselves out in the world and shine. I have four tips to treasure while you have the breath of life in you:
Face your circumstance with thankfulness so that you can see what you have left to give. If you're not dead yet, you still have something to offer. Do some soul-searching and find out what you still have left to give. It will be in the form of TIME, TALENT, or TREASURE.
Stay grounded and present. There is always something going on around you. Get your hands in the soil (so to speak). Hear the footsteps of you pressing on. Work on short-term family or community-related goals. It's about staying connected and involved with life as much as possible.
Surrender to your call in your current season. Many cancer patients had to walk away from careers, jobs, or lives they had before diagnosis. Grieve it a little, but don't stay stuck. Surrender to a new call that's on your life. I dare you to follow your dreams despite your obstacles. I know you still have dreams and ambitions because you were created on purpose, so you have a purpose. Do something that brings a little more light to your day or somebody else.
Let go of weighty matters that do not add value to your life. Letting go of serious, negative, unproductive issues of the world is how I stay motivated. People with cancer must preserve all the energy they can. Love is the most significant positive energy that keeps me motivated and inspired to give my time, talent, and treasures no matter if I get it back in return or not. I've learned how to surround my house, life, atmosphere with peace, love, and joy.
