Grace, Gratitude and the Family You Find

On December 31, 2024, as the world rang in a new year, Michelle Roark, 58, of Rolla, received devastating news—a diagnosis of HER2-positive breast cancer. She didn’t sip champagne or cheer at midnight. She lay quietly in bed, her mind reeling. 

The diagnosis followed a routine mammogram at the Phelps Health Comprehensive Breast Center that found a suspicious mass requiring a biopsy (the removal of a small tissue sample for diagnosis). With a family history of breast cancer, Michelle took it seriously and scheduled the procedure.

“I did have breast cancer in my family,” she said. “My grandmother passed away from it at age 34. I never got to meet her.”

Michelle, who has no family in the area to lean on for support, broke down in tears during the procedure at Phelps Health Hospital. When she told her care team how alone she felt, Radiologist Bruce Hedgepeth, MD, looked at her and said, “We’re your family now.” 

“I broke down again,” Michelle said. “I’ve never had a doctor tell me that before.”

Once the holiday passed, Michelle recovered from the initial shock and made a decision. She would face 2025, and whatever it might bring, with grace, gratitude and determination to continue living life on her own terms. 

Over the following weeks, Michelle traveled to St. Louis for a mastectomy but returned to the Delbert Day Cancer Institute (DDCI), about a mile from her home, for chemotherapy. 

“Dr. Huang, Becky Witham and all the staff at the DDCI have been phenomenal,” she said. “I genuinely miss them. My oncology nurse, Carrie, was a light in my life. I miss her every day.”

Although she faced her diagnosis with courage and hope, the bills for her biopsy, mastectomy and chemotherapy quickly overwhelmed her. 

“I was drowning,” she said, blinking back tears. “I’d already gone through my savings trying to keep up with the bills. It’s hard to admit when you’re struggling.”

Michelle continued working throughout her treatment, trying to make ends meet and reluctant to ask for help. She felt fortunate that she didn’t need radiation therapy or suffer many side effects from chemotherapy, so she could work through most days.

“I was doing it on my own,” she said. “My dad always taught me to stand on my own two feet and figure it out.”

With no financial aid from her family, Michelle applied for grants and assistance programs. Because she was still working, she was just over the threshold and didn’t qualify. Feeling like she’d run out of options, she confided in her DDCI care team and spoke with a social worker.

Help arrived quickly.

The Phelps Health Foundation, the property management company she rents from and Cancer Gala & Co. provided 4 months of rent and electricity. With this boost, she was able to get back on her feet, replenish a little of her savings and afford to cover her basic needs. 

“Everyone has something going on in their life,” Michelle said. “Every journey is different, and this is mine. I’m grateful every day—I have a place to live, running water and electricity. A lot of people don’t have those things.”

She began 2026 with anticipation and, on March 23, rang the bell after her last chemo treatment. 

“It was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be,” she remembered. “I was crying—bawling.”

When Michelle returned to the DDCI in October, it wasn’t for treatment but to visit the many friends she had made there. She was beaming. 

“I just want to say thank you to the Foundation and the DDCI for everything they’ve done,” Michelle said. “I’m blessed beyond belief with the support I’ve had. If someone reaches out to me for help, I will be there for them.”

Since March, she has been relishing life, grateful that she will see another Thanksgiving, another Christmas and another New Year’s Eve. 

“I kicked cancer’s butt,” she said, laughing. “I even went to Costa Rica afterwards as my celebration.”

Now, her life is returning to normal, but her perspective has been forever changed.

“I’ve always been a positive person,” Michelle said. “Now, I’m even more positive and feeling fantastic. For anyone who may be starting a similar journey, you can get through this.”