Chellie McDowell is widely loved and known for her joyful energy at West Brunswick. She is the secretary in the front office, and when you enter the school, you see her welcoming face. She is so sweet and tries to help as much as she can, but there were struggles we didn’t know about until we were told the news.

“I have breast cancer,” said McDowell. “I went in for just a routine mammogram. They caught it really early.”

Even when McDowell found out that she was fighting cancer, she never let that fear or worry define her. She kept pushing, even though it might have been hard going through all of those treatments and mammograms, especially chemo. Chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that kills and tries to stop the spread and growth of cancer cells, preventing them from multiplying and spreading.

“There have been a lot of times I had to search for my why,” said McDowell. “The love around me, my kids, and all of you guys here at West Brunswick keep me pushing every day.”

Although it was difficult to “find that why” almost every morning, McDowell fought to put her best foot forward regardless. Distraction, one of the most common efforts to try and ease the mind, can come in handy during times like these– and they did. 

“Praying, lots of quiet time, listening to music, spending time with friends and family,” said McDowell. “That’s truly what gets my mind off the struggle. There were still challenges I faced.”

McDowell still faces challenges every day. She doesn’t let that stop her, though. She still gets up and tries her best, even if she doesn’t feel good. 

“I had twelve weeks of chemo, then after I finished that, I had to have four weeks of radiation,” said McDowell.

Chellie McDowell went through it all; the lack of energy, the sick feeling, the treatments, the mammograms and even chemo. No matter how hard breast cancer tried and is still trying to tear her down, she is still standing strong and fighting.

“Being sick and not having barely any energy was one of my biggest challenges,” said McDowell. “I’m still dealing with that to this day.”