Monique Chatman beat the odds and cancer– given the all clear by her doctor after five years post-diagnosis.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Monique Chatman is a nurse practitioner at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center where her daily duties involve working with people receiving care.
“As a nurse practitioner working in palliative care, there have been times where I have been the one to share some unfortunate news—or going in with the oncologist to share that news,” Chatman said.
Then, at one point, she found herself on the other side of the hospital room getting her own devastating news.
“It was very traumatic, in that sense when, now I’m the patient and being diagnosed with this cancer,” Chatman said.
A rare malignant tumor marked a date Chatman won’t forget.
“In 2019, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 ampullary adenocarcinoma,” Chatman shared. “Essentially, it’s a rare cancer that’s in the small intestine.”
But, it’s the same feat some of her patients went through that she, herself, has used as her superpower to keep going.
“I literally would have radiation at 8 o’clock in the morning and be at … work at 8:30,” Chatman recalled. “And so, on the mornings of radiation, I, essentially, would still power through and see my patients.”
Chatman’s battle came to an end in January when her doctor gave her the all clear.
“’You don’t have to see me anymore; your journey is now complete,'” Chatman said. “Because at the five-year mark is when your oncologist says that you’re cancer-free.”
With June being National Cancer Survivors Month, Chatman wants to help bring support to survivors.
“I am also thankful and grateful for being able to inspire other people on this cancer journey,” Chatman said.
If you’re a survivor who has completed treatment within the last two years, you can connect with health care professionals and other survivors through the Novant Health Cancer Institute Kemp Bessant Support Center.
