Q&A with former alum, Dawn Scott
Brady Cates
bcates@uwyo.edu
Branding Iron: What was your experience like at the University of Wyoming?
Dawn Scott: So I attended the College of Law. I did my undergrad in Colorado but I had friends that had gone to College of Law at Wyoming and had a great experience. Obviously it’s cost effective, compared to other law schools. The thing that I loved the most was we had small classes and I knew I would be able to connect with professors on a different level. They have such a greater open door policy at the College of Law than what you find at other universities and I think the atmosphere for our class and the class above and behind is really one that you want help your colleague’s and your classmates out whereas other institutions, I think it can be more challenging to have positive relationships with classmates. It all worked out great for me.
The other thing that I really loved about the program was they had the legal clinics. So I had spent about a year total in their domestic violence clinic, which now has a different name. But working with those professors and having that real world experience in the clinic before I got out and started practicing law, it was amazing. And having those folks as mentors still stand today.
BI: What was it like to find out you were sick at such a young age?
DS: I was a junior when I found that I had cancer and I was attending the University of Northern Colorado at the time. But it was life changing obviously. It was terrifying, but at the same time I don’t think I ever really let myself grasp my mortality. I really kept my eyes focused on getting through undergrad and I had professors that helped me because I had to withdrawal and it was during the spring semester of 1998. So after I had been out of school and I had had the biopsy and we knew I was going to have to do chemo and surgery and things, when I came back to school in the fall I didn’t do it on campus, I did independent studies from home with professors. And that accommodated my needs to heal and continue to do the medical treatments that I needed, but also kept me working towards my degree and my health insurance, both of which were really important for me. I kept my focus on getting my degree and that’s what I kept my eyes on.
BI: What type of cancer was it that you had?
DS: The type of cancer I had is called Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE), it’s a really rare soft tissue cancer and it grew in one of the major veins in my right chest, and then had spread to my lungs by the time I started chemotherapy.
BI: What were some of the major obstacles that you faced going through this?
DS: I was 20, so I missed out on a lot of life experiences. People going out and living their life and that went away really quick for me. I had always been academically focused so I wasn’t a big partier or anything like that, but it definitely changed my relationship with everyone. I had friends that didn’t know how to deal with it and walked away. It just really changed my relationships and it changed my focus because while I was focused on getting my undergrad degree, I had always dreamed of going to law school and then when I got so sick, I thought ‘okay if I make it out of this I certainly won’t have the stamina to go onto law school’. But my oncologist really pushed me to not give up on that dream.
BI: What helped you get through everything you went through?
DS: Honestly I would say my focus just on moving forward in my life. I always used to claim that I had my four F’s. I had my faith, my friends, my family and my focus and those were the four things that really kept my going. When I lost my hair two of my best friends came and sat with me when my hair was falling out. I’ve had friends and family always by my side to support me and encourage me. My professors during my undergrad did the same thing. They were there for me and reached out and let me know they were there whenever I felt physically ready to go back to school.
BI: Did this change your outlook on life and if so, how?
DS: It did. At the time I was diagnosed I was given six months to live and I still have tumors in my lungs but they’re stable so they’re not growing but they’re not shrinking, they’re just there. So checkups are a frequent part of my life and it’s affected relationships because not everyone is prepared to sign onto a life be it as a friend or a romantic partner with someone who may not survive. Every time I go to the doctor for a CATscan, you always hope that the outcome is going to be good that it’s still stable, but you’re always prepared for the fact that we might be starting treatment again. The best way I can describe it is you live life with one foot in the door and one foot out the door. You try to live and focus and more forward in everyway possible, but part of you is prepared for one shoe to drop and for things to go badly. So I live life as happily as I can and as fully as I can, but there’s always a part of me that wonders. And it’s hard when so many people that I love with cancer like friends that I’ve made because of my cancer, who don’t survive and there’s a lot of survivors guilt around that.
BI: Why are caregivers so important to you?
DS: My husband and I, this is my second marriage; my first husband wasn’t prepared to deal with health challenges like I had hoped. So my second husband, we’ve been together almost five years and he’s amazing. He’s seen me go through 21 surgeries in the last two and a half years and 19 of those have been in Denver. I live in Cody so that’s a ten-hour drive and that’s a lot of driving. Caregivers are so important because so many people focus on the survivor, the person fighting and obviously they need your support, but the caregivers taking care of them need support too. My husband has been amazing and we have people in our life who know what a good job he does and makes sure he’s doing okay along with meeting his needs and not just mine. I just think that is a critical part of getting to where I am today is because of the caregivers in my life.
BI: How did you get involved with the American Cancer Society?
DS: What I work with is ASC or the American Cancer Society and then the last part of it is Cancer Action Network (CAN). And we are a distinct entity from ACS, so I got involved with ACS first. I started volunteering with them right when I moved to Cody, I worked on their relay for life committee in Park County, and I was involved with them for about eight years when I became aware of ACS- Cancer Action Network. And obviously being an attorney by trade, I was interested in the fact that I could have a voice legislatively and learn how to figure out how to organize my voice and organize other people’s voices so that we could make a difference. So while I continued to volunteer for relay for life, I started to volunteer with ACS-CAN. In 2015, they asked me to serve as the states leading ambassador, and that is the highest volunteer rank in the CAN organization. My story I think is really an example that you can volunteer and make something that is your passion your career. It is possible to really love what you do and make a difference.
BI: What is your current role with the organization?
DS: As grassroots manager, my job basically is to organize. I organize people on the ground. So volunteers, I want to teach them that this is an important area to be involved in, and want to give them the tools to make a difference with their legislators. Whether they’re emailing, calling or making personal visits, I’m the person who is designated to help them learn how to be involved and to set a plan and give them the tools to follow to help them achieve what we’re trying to achieve.
BI: What has being involved with this organization done for you personally?
DS: I feel like I make a difference I truly do. I feel like all this stuff that I’ve gone through in my life, this is why and this is the end result. It’s to help share my story but not only that, share my passion and activism I feel with other people and get them involved because it doesn’t have to be a scary process. I can be very easy but I think it feels overwhelming. I know it felt overwhelming to me at first to think about emailing my legislators be it state or federal, so I’m happy everyday when I go to work, I love what I do. I love the people I work with, the people that I meet, I love the fact that I get to work with students and professors and folks all across the state. I couldn’t ask for a better mission in life.
BI: Do you have a passion for helping other people get through what you went through?
DS: Yes, that has been a big part of the past 19 years of my life. Being there for people that are in need of help, support and guidance. When I was in Laramie in law school, I volunteered at hospice and since then I’ve become involved in two organizations along with ACS. I work for a program called “Stupid Cancer” which is for young adults with cancer, ages 13-39. They have a great social media system in place and so I can reach out to folks. We have regional and a national group and I have a friend in New Jersey and we’ve became good friends because she posted that she was lonely and so I messaged her and now we’ve been friends for the past three years. I think its part of my reason why I’m still here on this earth is for other people and to be a support. I had a woman named Shannon who was my mentor when I through cancer and she didn’t survive and I worry and wonder why everyday. But I try and take her place and be helpful and reaching out to those who are scared or lonely like I was. The other group that I’m involved in is called “Imerman Angles” and what we do there is I input all my information to them and they match up my information to folks with my rare cancer or similar age group to me so that I can be someone who they can call on and I’ve had three matches now through that. And four years ago, I set up a Facebook group for people with my particular cancer, because when I was diagnosed I was given a statistic that I was one of 16 in the U.S., so it’s very rare. I set up this Facebook group and we are now well over 1,000 members all over the world.
BI: What would you say to someone who is going through this whether it be them individually or their family?
DS: Never feel like you’re alone, reach out. If you don’t know where to start, find me or reach out to the hospitals and ask for resources, especially if it’s a young adult. So don’t be afraid to use the Internet to find resources and just believe in yourself. Believe that you’ve got strength inside you to face this and there will be folks beside you and hold your hand and that you never have to be alone anymore with this disease.
Dawn is always looking for members and volunteers for ACS CAN. You can find more information about this by getting in contact with her at dawn.scott@cancer.org or by phone at 307-761-2040.
