GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For eight years, Amanda Shields has answered the calls of those in distress, working for the Grand Rapids Police Department as a dispatcher.
But after years of helping others, now it's her turn to be in distress.
In August, Amanda found a lump and quickly scheduled an ultrasound and mammogram. The results were shocking.
"In the morning, I got that phone call," Amanda remembers. "My heart sunk. Because I never thought it could happen to me, ever."
Amanda was diagnosed with stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer, meaning it was aggressive and growing quickly. She immediately started treatment.
When FOX 17 talked with her, she had just finished her 6th out of 16 chemo treatments.
"I come home and still live a semi-normal life. I'm more fatigued, I take more naps," Amanda says.
Her hair, however, is gone. It was her way of getting in front of the inevitable.
But before she even decided to shave her head, her husband and son-in-law beat her to it.
"I have no question that they're supporting me," Amanda said, who added she was "overwhelmed" by their act.
Amanda is definitely not fighting alone. Her family, work, and community are showing their support with shirts designed by Amanda's daughter.
For Kathleen, her mom's diagnosis was a tough pill to swallow. But she turned her worry into this piece of work, designing shirts that support her mom as well as shirts without the "Shields Strong" label for others who may be battling the disease.
"In this family, no, nobody fights alone. We stand together, we support each other. We are just here for each other," Kathleen says.
But the support doesn't stop there. Her coworkers are also donating their sick time to help Amanda get through her treatments.
"I don't have the worry of having to go on to disability where I lose income, I don't have to worry about any of my income, I can still pay my bills and just focus on getting healthy again," says Amanda.
As someone who doesn't have breast cancer in her family and was overdue for a mammogram, Amanda's advice is simple. "Schedule it now."
"This is not how I saw my life going. But I'm going to fight. Excuse, I'm going to fight like hell."
To support the family as medical bills pile up, follow this link to the family's GoFundMe page.
