Relay for Life of Brown County announced their 2014 Adult Survivor Honoree, Brandy Bishop, on Wednesday, May 7th.

Bishop is now cancer free after having been diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease when she was just 19 years old.  She stated that it has changed her life overcoming the disease and relying on her faith to get her through that trying time.

According to Bishop, she had had bouts of fatigue during her senior year at Zephyr High School and went through testing for mononeucleosis and leukemia; however those came back negative.  She was an athlete, playing on that year’s basketball team which even went to state.

It was during a basketball game when she was attending Howard Payne University that she was hit with a t-shirt a male cheerleader threw into the stands.  It was thrown hard, from across the court into the stands and “hurt a little,” making Brandy react by touching her neck area where she felt two knots that she had not noticed before.  Feeling that it was odd, she had a doctor look at the knots and was soon diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease, a form of lymphoma.  The disease had developed in her neck and chest area at the time she discovered it, thanks to the cheerleader who tossed the shirt .

“God put him out there, and he threw it from the other side of the court up into the balcony,” said Bishop, who knew all the cheerleaders except the one who threw the shirt.  She stated she had never seen him before and never met him, but that she felt he played an important part of her survival.

Brandy has learned to count her blessings through the journey of treatment (radiation) and recovery from lymphoma.  It has been 15 years now since that diagnosis and Brandy is cancer free, enjoying life with her husband and two sons.

“During my treatment was the first time I really felt God speak to me,” said Bishop.  “It grew my faith and my spirit.”

Bishop is the adult survivor honoree for this year’s Relay for Life which will be held Friday, June 6 from 7pm-7am at Gordon Wood Stadium in Brownwood.  Bishop and this year’s child survivor will be flown in by helicopter to the stadium during the opening ceremony of this year’s event which is themed, “We Can Be Heroes,” based on superheroes.

The American Cancer Society West Texas Region shared the reason why people gather for these relays each year on their Facebook status, “Every year, the Relay For Life movement raises more than $400 million. The American Cancer Society puts these donations to work, investing in groundbreaking research in every type of cancer and providing free information and services to cancer patients and their caregivers. We’re fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer, in your community and everyone else’s.”

The West Texas Region of the American Cancer Society is made up of 105 counties (including Brown County), 60 Relays, and 1000+ volunteers make up the West Texas Region of the American Cancer Society.

Pictured above are Relay for Life representatives along with the Bishop family at Bishop’s jewelry booth at Serendipity.  From left to right are:  Becky Smith, Rachel Smith, Lisa Callihan, Jared Trowbridge, Tammy Robinson, Troup Bishop, Troup Bishop, Reese Bishop, Brandy Bishop, Marian Deans, and Donna Thompson.