BILLINGS — From wigs to powerlifting world records, Sheryl Shockley found her own unique way to face breast cancer.
“Lifting weights is addictive,” Shockley said in a recent interview.
Cancer, Shockley says, doesn’t get to define who she is.
You’d never guess this woman faced breast cancer twice. Her journey began in March 2023 after a mammogram revealed the diagnosis – stage 2 breast cancer.
Watch Sheryl Shockley talk about her journey with breast cancer:
“This is not what you had planned for your life. This wasn't in the book when Mark and I got married 49 years ago,” Shockley said.
Shockley underwent a mastectomy in May 2023. After the surgery, she thought she had beat cancer.
“Not quite,” she said.
In November 2024, the cancer returned— but not where she expected.
“Talking with Doc, he says, ‘Okay the shock is over. It's breast cancer on your liver’,” Shockley said.
Between her diagnoses in 2023 and 2024, Shockley focused on one thing: living her life.
“(I) live my life because life is too short,” Shockley said.
Shockley knew she would likely lose her hair during treatment. She decided to embrace the change rather than let it defeat her.
“My hair is going to go. Women are defined by how they look. Even though there's a lot of women now that have short hair or that are bald or whatever, it's hard to lose your hair,” Shockley said.
But Sheryl found a silver lining in her situation.
“What other woman do you know can coordinate her hair and her wardrobe? You're feeling like blue hair today, okay. Look in your closet. What's blue today,” Shockley said. “That's part of my fight. I love my wigs.”
Another crucial part of her fight involves pushing weights. She believes that’s why she’s still here today.
For over a decade, Shockley has been training to be the best that she could be. She wasn’t going to let cancer stop her from doing what she loves.
Shockley spends a couple days of weeks training at Plaza Fitness with her daughter.
Her trainer recognizes the inspiration Sheryl provides to others.
“People watch you. People are inspired by you. They watch your battle. They watch your fight. You are very inspired by so many people. To your daughter, to your husband, to your church. To me, to my family. We all know your battle. We know your fight. You just keep fighting. So, we'll do it here,” her trainer, Sean, said to her during a workout.
Shockley said that her doctor supports her continued training.
“Dr. Christensen loves the fact that I'm continuing to lift because chemotherapy is really hard on bones,” Shockley said.
Throughout her journey with powerlifting and facing cancer, Shockley set world records.
“I set my sights on that and thought, well, I'm going to set some records. I didn't set them really high, but I got them. So next year when I go and compete, I can beat them, Shockley said.
Shockley refuses to let her diagnosis become her identity.
“I'm a mom. I'm a wife. I'm a Grammy. I have a job outside. And I work full-time. I'm a power lifter. I coach my daughter in power lifting. There's a lot of stuff other than Cancer Warrior. That's like way down on the list,” Shockley said.
This week, Q2 is featuring stories highlighting breast-cancer survivors leading up to Friday's Pink Breakfast at 6 a.m. on Montana This Morning on Q2. Click here to learn more on how to donate to Pack the Place in Pink to support local survivors.
