39-year-old Warren woman forges ahead after cancer diagnosis

April 4, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

WARREN

When Shannon Travis showed up at Lisa Robinson’s house late one night, Robinson knew her normally upbeat friend was near the end of her rope.

“I could just see it on her face that it was almost too much,” said Robinson, who’s known Travis for more than 20 years. “I did what a good friend does. I made sure the car was gassed up, and we drove and drove and talked.”

Travis, a 39-year-old single mother of six, found out she had breast cancer last April. The ensuing months have been harrowing.

Having completed several rounds of chemotherapy and undergone a double mastectomy, Travis is now going through radiation therapy.

She was the subject of a Vindicator story in October 2015, when she worked at the Iron Skillet in Girard and her co-workers organized a bake sale for her medical expenses.

Lately, Travis has been too sick to work – a hard pill for her to swallow, since she’s held two jobs most of her adult life.

Travis’ children range in age from 5 to 24. Her older kids help out when they can. They cook dinner and help finish the home renovations that Travis started before she found out about the cancer.

Travis’ friends and family say she’s willing to sacrifice anything for her kids and that she’s hard-working, almost to a fault. Her 19-year-old son Marcello reproached her after she stayed awake until 2 a.m. to put up drywall, despite being unwell.

“My mom does the best she can,” Marcello said. “She tries to be happy in front of us and doesn’t usually let anything get her down. She’s motivational when it comes down to it.”

The mounting medical bills and the cost of home repairs have taken a toll on Travis, but she strives to remain positive.

She used a stencil to dye a cancer awareness ribbon onto her hair, which is starting to grow back. When strangers approach her at stores and ask about the ribbon, she’s not shy about explaining her illness and urging other women to stay on top of their mammograms and check-ups.

Travis has formed a sort of sisterhood with other women who have had breast cancer.

“There are some things that only people who have been through it will understand,” Travis said. “It helps to have someone to talk to. This does affect so many women.”

And Travis said her mother, Susan Clinger, has been a blessing. Clinger has accompanied her daughter to every doctor’s appointment and treatment session. She also drives her grandchildren to school and lives with one of Travis’ sons, who has developmental disabilities.

Those who know them agree that Travis gets her work ethic from her mother. Clinger, 62, does not hesitate to pick up a paintbrush or a circular saw and assist with renovations to her daughter’s home.

Along with her family, prayer helps lift her spirits, said Travis, who attends First Assembly of God.

Jennifer Boivin, the wife of the pastor there, described Travis as relentlessly outgoing. Travis can be counted on to bring someone new to church each week, Boivin noted.

Robinson similarly described Travis as extroverted and emotionally open. The Travis home on Scott Street in Warren is usually bustling with neighborhood kids.

“She’s kind of like Mother Goose,” Robinson said of her friend.

These days, “Mother Goose” is struggling with her own limitations. Travis says she feels guilty about being unable to work as much as much she used to. It pains her every time she looks out her kitchen window and sees a pile of wood in the backyard. She bought the lumber before she got sick and had promised to build a tree house for her kids. Now, though, she’s just too tired.

“I take it day by day,” Travis said. “I am lucky for many things in my life and being so sick does put everything in focus. The little stuff doesn’t bother you anymore.”

Travis stroked her 10-year-old son’s hair as he sat on her lap and played an iPhone game. “He’s having a hard time because he’s scared that I’m...,” Travis said, before silently mouthing the words “going to die” so he wouldn’t hear.

“I keep telling him that when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go,” she added. “But, until then, I’m going to fight.”