We had the good fortune of connecting with Sholondria Little and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sholondria, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I always have a bad habit to keep going until I finish. I hate stopping in the mist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Before Breast Cancer I was a Store Manager. I worked for the company 17 years before deciding to let it go due to my health! I love working in the public! I would meet new people every day. Those years actually was the highlights of my life. The things that set me apart from the rest is when people say that they may not complain because no one is listening. That’s not truth, I would always make time to listen. I’ve learned that you never know what a person is going through. They may just need someone to listen to them or help them make their day easier. And that was me. There was an older lady, a customer, that used to come into my store every morning. It was like clockwork. She wasn’t a very talkative person, but I made sure that I talked to her. I would just talk about some of anything just to make sure she talked to me. I took a FMLA for about 10 months from work. When I returned, she was so excited to see me! She pulled me to the side and told me that she missed me and missed my smile. She lost her husband some time ago before I took a leave from work, every morning he would wake up talking with a smile on his face. Sometimes she would pull the covers over her face. I remind her of him. Just for having a smile on my face every time she saw me and helping her keep moving forward. Last she said especially now that you have decide to return to work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s not much to do here in Hawkinsville. Either way we traveled it takes an hour or better to get there. I would rather watch my children games, eating grilled food and going to church. Instead of doing all that driving. Football is my favorite sport. A week during football season is more than likely the best time to visit me. Monday and Thursday night is NFL with grilled food. My family love cooking on the outside grill. Friday nights are the best! My youngest plays high school football. No matter the place, that’s where we will be. Saturday is college football. I don’t mind going to the college games with my children, but I’d rather be at home watching on television with them. While one of us cooks. Sunday, it’s Church at Prophet’s Chamber at Eagle Wing Ministry in Byron, Ga. The place I found peace. I will always be blessed for my Church family. It may not be a big congregation, but it has a big family with a good heart. That’s my ideal of an awesome week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
2016 I was checking my breast and I felt a lump. I never would have thought I had cancer. First off, it was painful to touch. I had read that cancer didn’t hurt. I thought that was a plus. It never went away or got smaller after a couple of weeks, so I decided to go to the doctor. I was diagnosed with early Breast Cancer no stage in my right breast. The worst day of my life hearing those words. My family and I decided to get a lumpectomy with 7 weeks of radiation on that breast. I also was on Tamoxifen for 10 years. During this time, I kept working and doing radiation treatment.
One year and one month later on a routine check my doctor found a lump in my right breast. Instantly, it was taken out.
Once again breast cancer stage 1. I was devastated! At this time, I got a double mastectomy. My chemotherapy treatment was six rounds Taxotere every 21 days. Being in treatment for at least 7 to 8 hours each time. It was very hard. I have never been through something that was so hard in my life. I wanted to give up. If it wasn’t for my family and the Lord, I wouldn’t have made it through. I was always sick, depressed and crying. I was always in pain from the surgeries. That passed. I was still taking pills every day for preventive. I never felt normal because I did not have breast. So, I decided to get breast reconstitution. it took me about 6 months to heal from reconstruction.
Finally, things started to get back to normal. I was almost at my 5-year mark and was back a work regularly when I started to be sick. It started with me hard to breathe that got worse over days. My lungs were filled with fluid.
2021 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer that has metastasized to my right lung, liver, parts of my bones and my ovaries. I don’t know do this cancer think that I am going to give up and allow it to take me, but it’s not. I still have people to meet and things to see. I have my Love, my kids, grand twins,
godchildren, family, church and my friends that need me right here. If I gave up every time something bad happens to me, my loved ones and people that are looking up to me will think it’s ok to give up. It’s not! I want them to keep fighting until they can’t anymore.

Facebook: jus Tisha

Image Credits
I credit Chris Turner and LaAngela Gibbs for the images

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