Interview w/ SFC Muse: Battling Cancer

Aug 3

You can ask any Soldier, and they’ll tell you they have seen at least one of SFC (Sergeant First Class) Muse’s Drill Sergeant or NCO videos. Some of the experiences I had as a Drill Sergeant (2016-2018) were directly reflected in her videos. SFC Muse was able to bring a little humor to the serious and important responsibility Drill Sergeants had. Due to the stress we went through, a good laugh was always relieving; it was good to know that other Drill Sergeants understood our stressors and shared some of the same experiences when it came to dealing with trainees.

When SFC Muse shared with us that she was battling cancer, I personally felt sadness. I felt through her humorous video content, I had grown a connection to her; she was my “battle”, as we call fellow Drill Sergeants. I felt that because of this unfortunate news, her content creation would stop; wrong did she prove me! Cancer may have slowed her, but it did NOT stop her.

She embodies the very strengths that I feel Woman from all corners of the world can benefit from having, no matter what their background is. Inspired by her consistency, I made it my mission to contact her to hear and understand how she stayed encouraged through her battle with cancer.

Q1: Describe the emotions that overcame you when you found out you had cancer?

AM: The day I found out that I had cancer was so surreal. You always imagine that it happens to everyone but you; to someone else. You forget that everyone is someone else to someone else. I was scared. I didn’t cry. I immediately went into “okay, be emotional later, for now you need to keep it together for your family and get it taken care of right now.” The big blow was finding out it was in both breasts. That knocked me back quite a bit. But then I went ahead with plan number one, get it taken care of right now.

Q2: Please explain how you continuously developed the strength to keep your social media content consistent while going through all that you are going through?

AM: Social media can be a good thing, but it can also be a monster. Luckily for me, social media has given me a large extended family where I can be comfortable being myself and sharing my good times and bad times. I always have a good time and it is rare for folks to see me in a bad time. This was the first time I felt the need to share it so that my fan base, my family, could see that anything can happen and how you handle it will determine the outcome. I wanted to share this more than anything because I felt it would also give women and men who might possibly be going through, or getting ready to go through, what I was going through, the insight to see what to expect.

“Ok, we have cancer. Okay, we need chemotherapy. Ok, we will be bald. We are going to rock this as hard as we can. We want kids. Okay, we will get some embryos in case something goes wrong with the chemotherapy. We will plan accordingly. We will get through this together.”

Luckily for me, the chemotherapy didn’t have as crazy of an effect on me. I was able to keep making videos and jokes for a while, and keep my people updated through my process.

Q3: Reflect on the love and support you have gotten from your social media supporters, has it been overwhelming? Did you expect the support you received?

AM: I am going to be super honest; they love me LOL! I knew that a few folks would feel it, but then I knew that a lot of folks would encourage me to keep pushing and keep telling me “move forward Drill!” It is always overwhelming to me how people who have seen my content react to me; either through a message that I responded to or seeing me in person. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I have been able to touch so many lives and get everyone who knows me through hard times with the click of a social media button; I love that feeling. I love the way that they support me through everything. It’s my page, but it is also our lives as a military family. People can see themselves in my content which is why I feel I get the support and love that I do. So yes, long story short, I knew they would gather and lift me up through this.

Q4: Do you have any words of encouragement for anyone going through a similar situation?

AM: The same thing that was told to me by so many, “you are strong, you can, and you will get through this.” A bump in the road does not end your trip. Find your way of getting around it and keep pushing forward. If you need help, reach out to whoever is available to assist you. Build a strong support system. At the end of the day, just know that nothing last forever and eventually this too shall pass.

Q5: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

AM: I just want to thank you all for taking the time to read my story. Hopefully, some of you who may be going through this ordeal along with me, are able to get that extra boost you needed to fight the good fight. I appreciate every last one of you. I have finished my treatments as of the 23rd of June and I could not have done that without your support and prayers. My own prayers go out to everyone who is reading and watching, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Be sure to connect with SFC Muse on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat at @ArmyAmuse & her YouTube channel: Army Amuse