Marshall Woman Beats Cancer Caught Just in Time

Brenda Verschelde's journey through cancer can be told through a keychain of colorful beads. Each bead represents a different step she conquered: diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and finally, ringing the bell after her last treatment.

At the Lyon County Relay for Life in Marshall last Thursday, Verschelde shared her story as this year's honorary chair. She held up her bead keychain to show fellow survivors and community members what fighting cancer looks like, one small victory at a time.

The story began with a routine mammogram in 2025 that revealed something suspicious. Verschelde was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, a serious cancer with a complicated name.

Then her surgeons told her something shocking. Had she come in just six years earlier, they would have sent her home with no treatment options available.

"That kind of shook me up," Verschelde said. But new research and developments meant successful treatment was now possible.

She went through lumpectomy surgery, followed by weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. One year later, she stood before her community, cancer-free.

Why This Inspires

Verschelde's story shows how fast cancer treatment is advancing. What was once untreatable is now beatable, and that progress is reaching small towns like Marshall.

The funds raised at Thursday's Relay for Life stay local. Jess Moriarty, a nurse practitioner at Avera Cancer Institute Marshall, said grants now help patients with transportation and lodging for treatments. The town can even offer research program participation right in Marshall.

Verschelde didn't survive alone. She credits her family, friends, community, and medical team for helping her overcome cancer.

Now she has one message for everyone: get your annual checkups and mammograms. Cancer doesn't discriminate, and catching it early matters.

"It saved my life," she said.