Photo By Senior Airman Kedesha Pennant | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Shamekia Toliver, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, and...... read more read more
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DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
“The day was May 23, 2014. I will never forget, because it’s the same day as my husband’s birthday. I thought to myself, ‘Why me? Why does my family have to go through this?’”
During the spring of 2014, Maj. Shamekia Toliver, Osan Air Base, Korea, Wing Resiliency Day facilitator, stood in front of Airmen and trained them on how to deal with tough situations and bounce back from them. She had recently been hired into one of the most exciting jobs of her career as the deputy commander of the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron. Unknown to her at the time, she would soon be tested on the same training she provided, causing her to have a new perspective on what it really means to be a resilient Airman.
Toliver, who has since been promoted and now serves as the commander for the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. A lump on the breast initially aroused suspicion, but Toliver wasn’t convinced it meant anything. However; after a conversation with her husband she agreed to see a medical professional.
“I thought everything was fine, but he ended up saving my life,” Toliver said.
Toliver’s husband was by her side during a trip to see a specialist, who determined the lump was suspicious. The next step was to have a biopsy done at a local hospital, which revealed her breast cancer diagnosis.
“I didn’t trust what I was hearing, so I immediately asked for a second opinion,” Toliver said.
She was granted the request, but the results confirmed the result.
“We were utterly shocked and rocked to the core,” Toliver said. “You just don’t expect something that grave. I was pretty young, and I considered myself to be healthy. Cancer doesn’t run in my family, and the statistics didn’t line up to make me think I was susceptible to breast cancer.”
Days after her diagnosis, Toliver received an email indicating she would have to go through a medical evaluation board, which could determine if she was still medically fit to continue active duty service. This was a frustrating moment for her as an active duty Airman. She felt the board notification was so soon it wouldn’t allow her a chance to prove she would get better.
“I was worried about my life and my ability to survive at that moment,” Toliver said. “I loved the Air Force for 20 years, and there was a chance my career could be taken away in a flash. I know I was informed for the right reasons, but I struggled with the notification.”
Yet as a senior leader and a wing resiliency facilitator, she had to hold herself accountable.
“I wanted to ensure I wasn’t just preaching resiliency but also showing myself, my Airmen and peers what a resilient Airman looks like,” Toliver said. “I was determined to make my schedule work for what the mission needed, and what I needed to get better.”
Knowing her Air Force career was in jeopardy for reasons beyond her control, Toliver had to put a plan together. The high-operational tempo at Osan AFB was a fast-paced challenge in a squadron of more than 600 Airmen. She elected to meet with her leadership, and asked permission to remain in Korea for treatment.
“The leadership void I would leave would be felt,” Toliver said. “I wanted to lay out a plan of attack for treatment, and I didn’t want to lose my job in the Air Force because I love what I do. I just knew I was going to beat this.”
The first part of treatment was to have surgery to remove the cancer.
“I was hospitalized for five weeks, and my body was allowed to heal,” Toliver said. “Then I started chemotherapy, which consisted of 18 sessions during the course of a year.”
To continue to support the mission, Toliver scheduled her chemotherapy sessions every third Thursday and took the following Friday off. This allowed her to fully recover over the weekend and return to work each Monday. She was provided a laptop to keep up with work remotely while undergoing treatment.
Going through her affliction in Korea made it a peculiar experience.
“The practices and methods in Korea aren’t the same as stateside,” Toliver said. In Korea,I had to have an IV line inserted each time I had chemo in addition to a battery of other blood testing before each treatment. I also had a lot of oral medications to take including steroids.”
As a result, her physical appearance changed causing her to feel weak and tired daily.
“I gained 28 pounds and lost all my hair while I was going through therapy,” Toliver said.
These changes made her want to fight harder to achieve her personal goals. She strived to take her Air Force physical training test after reconstructive surgery despite still undergoing chemotherapy.
“I don’t take for granted any day I can get up and move around, because I have had days when I couldn’t,” Toliver said. “I appreciated the days I could do PT, because it was important to me. I trained, and my first sergeant at the time pushed me to attain an excellent on my PT test.”
Through the tough times, the good outweighed the bad.
“My low points aren’t that memorable to me,” Toliver said. “I was surrounded by an awesome team of wingmen. They consistently lifted me up, and their service was unselfish. They focused on my entire family, and that along with my faith is what kept me going.”
The 7th CES commander affectionately refers to her family as ‘Team Toliver.’ They are her foundation, which gave her strength along with the support of her church and Air Force family. Spouses and Airmen alike pulled together to provide meals, transportation, encouraging words and hospital visits. They also took care of her kids and participated in local cancer awareness events.
When Toliver decided to tell her sons about her condition, the conversation with them, at ages 8 and 4, was challenging.
“My sons had to grow up and experience things some children may never see in a lifetime,” Toliver said. “They saw mental and physical changes in me, but it was their right to know exactly what we - as a family - were going through.”
Team Toliver’s testimony continues to transcend today.
“Recently, we found out a mother on my son’s football team is being treated for breast cancer and has been unable to attend the games,” Toliver said. “With it being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wore a pink ribbon to one of the games. My son asked if he could have the ribbon to give to his friend and let him know he understood what he was going through. This is why I share my story because you never know how it will impact others and give them hope.”
“Who am I to give up?” Toliver said. “The Air Force has invested so much in me. Yes, I’m a mom and my faith carried me through, but also I attribute my story to being an American Airman. Without the foundation, training and drive I get as being a part of the world’s greatest Air Force, I don’t think my story would be the same.”
While medical professionals note a breast cancer patient in remission needs to be cancer-free for five years before being fully cured, Lt. Col. Shamekia N. Toliver already considers herself a survivor.
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2016 12:47 |
| Story ID: | 217850 |
| Location: | DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Already a survivor: an Airman’s story of resiliency, by SrA Kedesha Pennant, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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