Shavonda Offutt beat breast cancer. Now she works in the same facility where she received treatment, helping others with their fight.

Story by: Tracy K. Miller on October 11, 2023

Cancer can come in like a wrecking ball, turning lives upside down. When the dust settles, it’s up to you to figure out how to move on. For Shavonda Offutt, that was especially true.

On April 16, 2021, Shavonda was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She learned from Blakely D. Kute, M.D., medical oncologist with Norton Cancer Institute, that it was an aggressive cancer that needed immediate treatment. Shavonda was scheduled for six rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy and then six weeks of radiation. It was a whirlwind that left Shavonda looking for any way to stay in control of her life. She was feeling overwhelmed, angry and in disbelief. She kept working as a school bus driver, fitting her treatments in between her routes.

“I didn’t want cancer to take over my life,” Shavonda said. “I was determined to do what I was doing before. I had to take control of what was going on and make the best of it.”

Shavonda believes God places people in your life who are meant to help you, like the staff members at Norton Cancer Institute who were with her through her cancer journey.

“The people I was placed with are the best,” Shavonda said. “There could have been no one better.”

Nearly six months after her diagnosis, on Oct. 5, 2021, Shavonda learned she was cancer-free.

A route to a new career

A year later, Shavonda followed her instincts and looked in to Norton Healthcare’s Medical Assistant Training Program to explore a new career opportunity. The on-the-job training program prepared Shavonda with everything she needed to know to succeed in a medical assistant position. After completing the program and an interview process, she was hired to work in one of the Norton Cancer Institute locations where she received treatments. And, there’s no better place Shavonda could have landed.

“To be where I received treatment is a beautiful thing — it’s full circle,” Shavonda said. “I see patients on day one of their treatment. I give people hope. I encourage them. I lift them up.”

In her role as a medical assistant, Shavonda is often one of the first staff members to see patients who are coming in for their first treatments after receiving a cancer diagnosis.

“Shavonda is a light of hope and encouragement to our patients that they can beat cancer,” said Dana Baker, R.N., a nurse manager at Norton Cancer Institute – Downtown. “She is proof of that.”

When she was driving her school bus, Shavonda helped her passengers get where they needed to go. As a medical assistant, she’s helping Norton Cancer Institute patients and families navigate the tough road that a fight with cancer can be.

“No one expects to [hear] they have cancer. I never thought I’d hear those words,” Shavonda said. “My purpose is to help people get through what life throws at us. They are in great hands here.”

According to Dana, Shavonda’s personal story contributes to patients having a good experience through their treatment.

“Shavonda knows what our patients are feeling in that moment and is able to help provide words of encouragement and hope during their journey,” Dana said. “She listens intently and completely to her patients.”

Shavonda believes this is her life’s purpose — helping people and giving them hope — and looks forward to doing this for many years to come.

“I love helping people. I have a passion for people,” Shavonda said. “I’m a survivor.”