Healthy Tuesdays
Oct 18, 2022
Mary Beth TeSelle
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon has spent 30-plus years serving her community, including the last four years in the very public role of Sheriff. But late last year, she found herself facing a very private battle.
Sheriff Shannan Moon was diagnosed with breast cancer last December. Today she is healthy and feeling strong following surgery and radiation and hopes that her story will encourage others to stay up to date with their screenings.
“I went in for my annual mammogram screening, just like I do every year,” Moon explains. “I didn’t feel anything different. I wasn’t delayed in getting my screening. I have no family history. But they found something.”
The team at the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Community Cancer Center asked Moon to come back in for more testing — first a secondary mammogram and then a biopsy.
“You don’t want to think the worst, but you do,” Moon recalls. “I got the phone call that no one wants to hear. It was cancer.”
Moon, who is 54 years old, consulted with her care team at the SNMH Cancer Center and quickly came up with a plan.
“I definitely wanted to get the cancer removed,” she says. “So, after consulting with my doctors, I chose a lumpectomy with the goal of preserving the breast. And then we just went after it.”
Moon says she not only felt confident in her care team at SNMH, she also felt comfortable being at SNMH. Initially her primary care doctor asked her if she was sure she wanted to receive treatment locally, given that she is a public figure and it would be hard to remain anonymous. She didn’t hesitate to get her care here, in her community.
“I was born in that hospital,” she says. “I have spent my whole life in this community. This is the only place I’ve ever called home. My wife and kids are here, my parents are here, my job is here… Being close to them and being able to receive such incredible care right here, close to home, was amazing.”
Following her surgery, Moon underwent several weeks of radiation at the SNMH Community Cancer Center.
“The entire team at the Cancer Center made me feel so well cared for,” she says. “I met so many incredible people at the hospital, including Dr. Clayton Hess and Dr. David Campbell, who are both incredible human beings and so confident in the quality of care they provide. Their staff are amazing too. We are just so fortunate to have such skilled and compassionate care in our community.”
Through it all, she says the support she received helped her stay positive and focused.
“I shared my diagnosis with my staff at the sheriff’s department,” she says. “I shared my prognosis, which was excellent, and told them I wasn’t going anywhere! So many of my colleagues shared personal stories with me about loved ones or friends who have gone through cancer – and a few even shared their own cancer journey. It really helps to know you are not alone when you are going through something this significant.”
Moon says she is grateful that her body handled the radiation treatment fairly well. She was able to continue to work every day and has remained active.
“I’ve had a little fatigue that I continue to deal with, but after three surgeries I think that is to be expected,” Moon says. “I play recreational and competitive softball and I recently started to play again, which is a great feeling.”
In fact, Moon’s recovery went so smoothly that she chose to pursue re-election, continuing her 32-year career in Nevada County law enforcement.
Moon hopes that by sharing her personal story, other women will be encouraged to stay up to date with their annual screenings.
“I was very fortunate that my cancer was caught early,” she explains. “Early detection is so important. I know some women are hesitant because of what their screening may show and so they delay it… Don’t delay! It’s so easy to schedule the appointment and go.”
This October, as her department joins other local agencies in the Pink Patch program, Moon says she will feel the significance of the program and others like it aimed at raising awareness for breast cancer.
“It’s an opportunity for our agency to support survivors, support families who have lost someone and to encourage everyone to get their screenings.”
And for anyone facing a cancer journey of their own, Moon offers this advice: “Rely on friends and family. Recognize that it is hard to go through anything like a cancer diagnosis and keeping it all in doesn’t help. In law enforcement, we tent to not want to show vulnerability, but this experience has shown me just how many people in our community want to support you when you need it.”