Cancer survivors share stories of strength, support

A little over a year ago, Susan Bales never dreamed she’d be a featured speaker at a cancer survivor’s event.

But there she was June 11, sharing her story with a large group of cancer survivors and their caregivers.

“I would have never chosen this journey but it’s the cards I was dealt. And now I strive to make something good come from this experience,” Bales said at Hope Grows Here, Knox Community Hospital’s annual cancer survivor event at The Gallagher Centre. “Over the past year, I’ve heard a lot of the same phrases – you’ve got this, you’re so strong; I’m so proud of you; you’re such an inspiration. Honestly, those became some of my least favorite words. Because I didn’t have a choice. I certainly never felt strong. I’ve never felt weaker or more vulnerable in my life. But I’ve also felt more love and supported than I ever had before.”

Bales’ story was one of several parts of an emotional night celebrating those who have survived cancer. Following dinner, Bales and Margaret Schmelzer both shared their stories; Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr read a proclamation declaring June 2026 as cancer survivor’s month in Mount Vernon; a special community member was recognized; and door prizes were handed out to many in attendance.

Bales is an emergency room nurse at Knox Community Hospital and understood what it meant to be on one side of the bed when a person is going through one of the more challenging parts of their life. But switching roles from caregiver to patient was something she was not prepared for. She had just completed a mammogram in April of 2025 and was told it was clear. Then, following a family vacation in July, she scratched an itch in her right side and felt the lump, which turned out to be cancer.

The hardest part, she said, was telling family members the diagnosis.

“I was sitting alone in a room when the radiologist walked in and said we are 95 percent sure this is cancer. I was like, ‘Wait. This is something that happens to other people, not me,’” Bales said. “Immediately, my mind went somewhere else. My first thought was ‘what am going to tell my kids?’ How do you sit down with the people you most love in this world and tell them something that terrifies you too? And then there was my mom. No matter how old we get, there’s something incredibly hard about watching your mom hurt because she can’t fix what’s happening to you. In that moment, my entire world changed.”

Those changes affected, not only Bales, but the people around her. Family, friends, co-workers, everyone surrounding Bales felt part of that pain. Friends stepped up and drove her to doctor appointments; and family members, especially her husband, helped her through those tough days. It’s those people who also needed to be celebrated, Bales said.

“While we celebrate the survivors here tonight, I also want to celebrate the people who help us become survivors. Because cancer may have been part of our story, but love, faith, friendship, compassion and community are all the reasons we are still here to tell it,” she said.

Schmelzer also talked of the day she found out she was diagnosed with cancer and the questions that come into your head.

“There are only a few statements that stop you in your tracks that are so pivotal that the moment is lost in time. Your biopsy results are back, and you have cancer,” Schmelzer said. “The minute you hear it your world changes. You’re in shock. Questions rise. Could it be a mistake? Feelings of denial, sadness, stir in a bit of anger. But at the same time, you are feeling this range of emotions, so are your family and friends. Day to day life and future plans are on hold.”

Schmelzer has fought this battle twice – first in 2021 and then again in 2023. Along with the people around her, it was her faith that helped Schmelzer get through the toughest days.

"In those two years of treatment for the two different cancers, I did experience days that were similar to that swirl of emotions that the initial diagnosis. Those were tough days. But as i continued through the cancer journey, I sensed a shift. The beautiful shift that happened, I believed, was due to prayer and a realization that God was with me, even in the midst of suffering. I just delved deeper into my faith,” Schmelzer said. “It’s not the pain itself that determines how we’re doing, it’s what we do with it. We all know people who’ve been through generally terrible things that somehow come out on the other side with more compassion, more depth, more life.”

Prior to the speeches, Diana Endsley was recognized for all the work she’s done for cancer patients. Endsley has been patient navigator and recently stepped down as KCH’s director of center for cancer care. She started at the hospital in 1982, prior to the merger and creation on Knox Community Hospital.

“I had no idea (she was getting this honor),” Endsley said. “It’s a wonderful staff. I couldn’t ask for a better staff. We couldn’t do it without the support of the administration.”