Gossage: Cancer survival all about ‘amazing’ support
For all the time and effort Shannon Gossage and her family have contributed to the citizens of Farragut, including Farragut High School’s football program, Shannon said they’ve gotten back in waves with “amazing” support during her bout with stage four colon cancer.
“I really want to make this about the support we’ve gotten from the football program and the school and the community,” Gossage said. “… It’s been tremendous how we’ve been treated.”
She was diagnosed with colon cancer Nov. 11, 2015.
“It was a complete shock. … You get cancer and you’re just exhausted,” Gossage said. “… It was already in my liver and on my ovaries. I had 16 total tumors.
However, “Thank God I responded well to the chemo,” she added. “… It’s hard, I’m not going to lie. There are days where you think, ‘I just can’t do it anymore,’ you’re sick, you’re tired. “But I will tell you now, I will never, ever quit fighting.”
From the religious community, “We go to Farragut Christian Church, and they’ve been amazing. Like bringing food and keeping the kids, sending us cards,” Gossage said.
Ethan Gossage — oldest of her three children including daughters ages 7 and 9 — is a 15-year-old sophomore lineman on the state champ FHS varsity team.
Growing up in Farragut, “We’ve always been involved in Farragut football, even when we didn’t have kids playing,” Gossage said about she and husband Adam Gossage.
Soon after being diagnosed, “People started reaching out to us,” Gossage said. “One of the [football team] moms started kind of a meal thing, because I was very sick in November [2015].
“March 4 was ‘Wear Blue For Colon Cancer Awareness Day.’ So my son, Ethan, tweeted out to the football team, the high school, the cheerleaders and a lot of his friends to wear blue, on that Friday, in support of me.”
“And they surprised me at the football field, and there was about 30 of them at 7:45 in the morning that were all wearing blue. And, they made signs.”
Football team members, including coaches, right after her diagnosis, “came over and raked our leaves and bagged up 80 bags of leaves,” Gossage said.
“The former principal, Step-hanie Thompson, she would e-mail me about every month, checking on me. And Ethan’s teachers, too, checking on us.”
“I’m known Shannon her whole life, just about. She and her family have always been supportive of our football program. Great quality people,” Eddie Courtney, FHS head varsity football coach, said.
“She’s a battler; she’s had to be what she’s been facing. … Ethan’s been fighting for her and she’s been fighting for him,” he added.
We’re so proud of the way she’s approached this and battled this.
