PFW helped grad student Stacy Abraham overcome cancer, find new focus

Stacy Abraham lives up to her name. Though she goes by Stacy, her real first name is Anastasia, which means “resurrection.”

“So, I carry my name very proudly, and it’s been my mantle for my life,” the Purdue University Fort Wayne graduate student from Ghana said. “No matter how many times life knocks me down, I would always get back up, always resurrect.”

Abraham arrived at PFW 2023 to pursue her master’s degree in professional communication studies. A month after classes started, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The devastating news was delivered to her over the phone one morning while she was on campus.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to see that you have Stage 2 breast cancer,” the caller said.

Except for sharing her emotions with immediate family in Ghana and Tracy Peterson, a “wonderful” friend who drove Abraham to her initial doctor appointments, Abraham initially kept everything private out of fear. Would the school take away her assistantship, requiring her to go home? After all, the doctor already told her to pause her studies because fighting cancer would require everything she had. If she stopped now, would she ever be allowed to return?

Instead, when Abraham reported her challenges to Assem Nasr, an associate professor of media and communication who is also her graduate teaching assistant supervisor, she found unconditional support. Subsequently, the communication faculty were informed, and Abraham was also backed by the Office of International Education.

PFW allowed her to conduct her teaching by recording lectures for online delivery, and encouraged her to adjust the pace of her own graduate classes. Her undergraduate students and graduate classmates in the classes she was teaching had no idea Abraham was dealing with a life-threatening illness.

Describing Abraham as a “warrior,” Kevin Stoller, instructional consultant/designer for PFW’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, helped her transition to online teaching.

“Stacy is one of the most resilient people I have ever met in my entire professional career,” said Steve Carr, professor of communication. “She has met each and every challenge she has encountered throughout her time here with nothing but determination and the sunniest disposition.”

During one year of treatment, including chemotherapy, Abraham lost her hair, wearing wigs when she attended graduate classes or taught her classes. She also dealt with other side effects including bone pain neuropathy, dizziness, painfully swollen feet, migraines, and insomnia. Her most consistent activity, she said, was prayer.

“I cried so many times but refused to give up my studies and maintained a very high GPA,” Abraham said. “I was assured God was my helper.”

It was also during her chemotherapy treatments that Abraham connected with Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana, a relationship that changed her life and her scholarship aims. During an independent study with the organization, Abraham witnessed the power of support groups and decided to change her thesis to resilience development in cancer support groups.

This led Abraham to study the communication theory of resilience, which says that resilience is not necessarily built-in but has to be constructed through communication. Abraham is using the worst experience of her life as a positive for her thesis, hopefully to help others. From her findings, she has developed a document that provides practical, evidence-based guidance for support group facilitators, translating scholarship into practice. She also embarked on projects such as creating content for Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana.

“I’ve been so impressed—her willingness to learn, her kindness and thoughtfulness,” said Audrey Mumma, director of communications and Abraham’s supervisor. “I’m just so impressed with where she has ended up, and I think she’ll go very far because she just approaches everything with a learning mindset and the ability to step outside of her comfort zone. After what she has been through, there is no obstacle that is going to stop her from doing what she wants to do.”

As Abraham said, before her cancer journey, she didn’t know she was a strong or resilient woman. She didn’t know she could survive such a challenge or live up to her name.

“I didn’t know that my faith could be put to so much of a test, and I would be willing to hold on and keep trusting that God would see me through,” Abraham said. “My time at PFW has taught me lessons I will carry for the rest of my life and PFW will always remain dear to my heart. Nothing that knocks you down should keep you down. Get up and keep going.”