‘I’m not going to let the cancer beat me. I’m going to beat the cancer.’

Qadriyyah “Coco” Shelton, 45, of Lakewood, discovered a lump in one of her breasts in November last year. Within a few days, she saw her primary care provider, who referred her to get a mammogram.

Within about a week of that appointment, and before she could get in for a mammogram, the lump became increasingly painful.

“The pain became so strong, I went to the ER,” shares Shelton.

There wasn’t much that could be done at the time to help with her pain, but she received confirmation that the lump was not a cyst.

Once Shelton had her appointment at Carol Milgard Breast Center, she had a breast MRI in addition to the mammogram.

Taking difficult news in stride

Shelton, who is a front-end team lead at Bass Pro Shops, was at work when the results came in.

“I was having a good day at work before the report came in,” she recalls. “I read it and ran to the break room. That’s when I knew I had cancer. My co-workers held me while I sat there in tears. Then I went home and cried to my husband.”

When Shelton received the call with the results from Carol Milgard, she was already prepared.

“They told me I have cancer. I said, ‘I know,’” she says. “I said it with a smile on my face because I had already dealt with the news. My co-workers asked me if I was OK. I said, ‘I’m fine. I got cancer. God’s got a plan for everybody.’”

Shelton was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer — a type of breast cancer that’s more aggressive than others — and referred to medical oncologist Blair Irwin, MD, at the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center in Tacoma.

“I loved Dr. Irwin from the moment I met her,” she says. “She asked how I was doing. I told her, ‘I’m fine except the fact I have cancer.’”

Shelton also met with breast surgeon Bobby Stevens, DO, during her first appointment at MultiCare.

“Dr. Stevens is so, so nice. I got him laughing, too. That’s just me — I’m going to tell jokes,” she says with a laugh.

Keeping a positive attitude through it all

Shelton started chemotherapy on April 12, 2024.

“That was the day. That was the scariest day,” she explains. “I don’t do needles, but the first nurse who helped me — her name is Nicole — she’s my savior. I love her so much. She helped me through everything that day.”

Shelton went in for weekly infusion treatments and had five total cycles of chemo, which she finished in September.

“A couple nurses said, ‘You should come work here — you could put a smile on everyone’s face!” she recalls.

Dr. Irwin agrees. “Coco gives such positive energy to the room and other patients [in the infusion suite]. Every time she comes in, she’s wearing something pink, whether it’s her socks, pants or jewelry.”

In between cycles four and five of chemo, Shelton took a week off to see her daughter graduate high school.

“It was nice to have a vacation from chemo and to see my daughter graduate,” she says. “I didn’t feel great, but my sister and daughter took care of me, and we went to the beach.”

Shelton shares that her aunt recently passed away from colon cancer.

“When my aunt was diagnosed, she stopped being active. That wasn’t going to be me,” she says. “I kept myself active. I didn’t want to sit around. When I wasn’t in chemo, if I felt good, I would take walks around the neighborhood. Even if it was going to the grocery store, I needed to be active.”

When extra help is needed

While Shelton’s positive attitude and ability to remain active have kept her focused during treatment, she recognized when she needed extra help and sought the services of oncology social worker Mary Milton.

“I’ve seen Mary several times, and she’s been very helpful,” she says. “There were some things that were stressing me out, and I shouldn’t be stressed out while having cancer. She helped me cope with cancer while dealing with some personal stuff. Talking to Mary, I got it all out. I feel like nothing can bother me now.”

Shelton also received nutrition counseling from MultiCare’s oncology support services.

“It has truly been a multidisciplinary effort,” says Dr. Irwin. “Mary provided Coco support emotionally and our nutritionists helped ensure she maximized her energy and a healthy weight during a really aggressive treatment.”

The journey ahead

Now that the initial chemo is behind her, Shelton is doing her part in raising breast cancer awareness by sharing her experience at local events, including the company where her husband works, International Paper, and the Imagine Me Foundation, an organization based in Tacoma that provides services and resources to cancer survivors and their families.

“Coco has embraced her journey and fought really hard to the point where she’s looking to help others,” Dr. Irwin says.

Shelton recently had a follow-up MRI to see if the tumor is gone or has shrunk.

“It’s still there, but it has shrunk,” she says. “Next I will see Dr. Stevens about surgery to remove what remains.”

Dr. Irwin says that despite Shelton having advanced breast cancer, it’s curable.

“Coco had very aggressive disease, but with chemo, there’s been significant shrinkage of the tumor,” Dr. Irwin shares. “Without treatment, it would have metastasized and taken her life.”

While Shelton must still undergo surgery, radiation and adjuvant therapy (a combination of chemo and immunotherapy), she remains positive.

“I still have a little fight ahead of me,” she adds. “But I’m not going to let the cancer beat me. I’m going to beat the cancer.”