Survival, Resilience and Determination
Surviving a tour in Afghanistan as a soldier on the ground in the U.S. Army was a battle, but the real fight began when I returned home.
"The shock of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 was overwhelming, a cruel twist after surviving in the perils of combat."
Sgt. Monique Alston, BSN student and Posse Veteran Scholar
After enduring deployment, I now faced an invisible enemy that left me grasping to reclaim my health. Exposed to toxins that likely led to a devastating breast cancer diagnosis with lung metastasis, every day is a testament to the unseen scars of service.
The shock of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 was overwhelming, a cruel twist after surviving in the perils of combat. As a single mother raising two young boys, my challenges are even greater. Treatments leave me exhausted, and while I try to rally for my children, my body regularly succumbs to disabling fatigue. The mastectomy and hair loss are difficult to bear, stripping away my femininity, even as I strive to maintain my appearance for myself and my boys. I want them to see me as strong and resilient. I want others to see me as Monique, but not pity me as a cancer patient. My goal of becoming a nurse keeps me focused and grounded.
Becoming sick with cancer, and experiencing nurses’ compassion, helped confirm my true calling. Driven to help others and inspired by nurses who’d cared for me, I began taking the required prerequisite classes for nursing school months after completing radiation treatments. I still keep in touch with Jessica, a nurse practitioner who cheers me on.
“All of school is hard,” she tells me, “but if you make it through the prerequisites, you can make it through nursing school.”
I hear her words as I work through my courses at UVA. Now a Posse Veteran Scholar, my plan is to become a nurse practitioner and earn a DNP, specializing in women’s health.
Sharing my cancer story sometimes feels difficult. I fear the loss of anonymity, as well as people’s pity and judgment. But telling my story might inspire others facing something similar to know they are not alone in their struggles. My beacon is one of hope and strength. And while my story is not just about pain and struggle, it’s also about resilience, determination, and the unwavering spirit to overcome life’s greatest challenges.
Cancer hasn’t derailed my dreams but informed them. I push forward, determined to make a difference in my own life, my children’s lives, and the lives of my patients.
Monique, a Posse Veteran Scholar who served in the U.S. Army from 2004-2017, is a first-year BSN student.
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