RICHMOND, Va. -- She’s a powerful voice in the world of gospel radio.
On Praise 104.7, Sheilah Belle--"The Belle" gives her listeners spiritual inspiration.
Last year, she gave them more---her own testimony.
"I'm humbled that I made it,” Belle said.
Sheilah Belle emotionally talks about her battle with breast cancer. She endured months of treatments and negative side effects. It’s been the toughest fight of her life.
Belle’s journey began June of 2016 when she had her very first mammogram at the University of Virginia Health System’s Mobile Mammography Coach. Then, Belle was called back to see the doctor.
“I remember walking out of there almost in a daze,” Belle said. “Not thinking why me, but trying to understand. I’ve been hit with this and I have to figure out how to deal with this.”
To get through it, Belle said she relied on her unshakable faith and memories of her mother who died of bone cancer.
"I thought of my mom a lot and I thought I got to beat this,” Belle said.
Only a handful of her closest "Angels" ----immediate family and friends---knew she was undergoing chemotherapy. In August, her doctor delivered more bad news.
"He said you're sick. You're sick. You've got MRSA and you've got a blood infection,” Belle said.
The port in her chest that delivered the chemo medicines got infected.
The setback would put treatments on hold and put Belle in the hospital.
Sheilah Belle battling cancer
Belle described her time at the hospital as "a stay from the H-E double toothpicks. I’ve never been in the hospital in my life."
Once the infection healed, she was back to doing chemo.
Then, she would have a lumpectomy to remove the small piece of a tumor.
“She said we got your test results back and you look good. We don't see cancer, you're done with all your cancer treatments,” Belle said.
She was done with the chemo, but still faced radiation treatments.
Then Bellle’s world would be rocked again.
"The doctor called me up and said we found a tumor in your dog," Belle said. "Mojo didn't have a tumor two weeks before.”
Sheilah Belle rings the bell to signify the end of radiation
Belle’s baby, Mojo Lester Belle, a Belgium German Shepherd, died four days after she had her tumor removed.
Feeling the weight of her loss, Belle finds the strength to undergo 33 treatments of radiation.
Weeks later, "The Belle" rings the bell signifying the end of radiation treatments.
Just last week, she finished her last transfusion.
Tearfully and emotionally, Belle said,“it’s the last one.”
Despite all she's been through, she is using her voice and platform to share her story, hopeful to possibly be a blessing to someone else.
“You're going to have to trust God and believe that if he's really called you to do something, you better believe that thang and hold on,” Belle said.
Sheilah Belle will be involved with Sisters Network Central Virginia’s ‘Gift for Life Block Walk’ on September 30. Belle will be the Honorary Chair and Mistress of Ceremony. CBS 6 Anchor Reba Hollingsworth will be there to speak about Buddy Check 6.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Baptist Church at 2169 New Market Road. For information and to register, call 804.447.40
