Chantel Downes
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Lakeland This Week
For Susanne Hildt, the ordeal began in 2008 with a cough that would not go away. At first, it seemed like a lingering illness. But after more testing, doctors found a large tumour in her chest and diagnosed her with Hodgkin lymphoma. Suddenly, what had started as a stubborn cough became the start of a life-altering battle.
Hildt said the diagnosis was especially frightening because of her two daughters, who were still children at the time. As she tried to process what lay ahead, her thoughts immediately turned to her children and to the possibility of not being there as they grew up.
“The first thing you think about is your kids. I had two small children at the time. They were only eight and 10,” she said.
Her first round of treatment included chemotherapy in Bonnyville and radiation in Edmonton, reducing how often she had to travel to the city for care.
She also said strong support from local health-care staff, the military, and the school division helped carry her and her family through one of the hardest periods of their lives.
“They were amazing. Let me tell you, I had these two women, and they were incredible – these two nurses I always had when I went,” she said.
After that first diagnosis, Hildt recovered, regained her strength, and returned to work. But the fear never fully disappeared. She said that even after treatment ended, ordinary illnesses could trigger worry, a reminder that cancer’s reach extended beyond the hospital and into everyday life.
A few years later, Hildt received another diagnosis. In 2010, after a mammogram, she learned she had ductal carcinoma in situ, an early form of breast cancer. Because it was caught early, her treatment was less extensive.
She underwent surgery and radiation, often travelling to Edmonton for care. During that time, she stayed with the help of military-supported accommodations and leaned once more on the same network of people who had supported her during her first diagnosis.
Then, in 2011, Hildt’s Hodgkin lymphoma returned. She said the relapse was difficult, especially after believing the cancer had been cured. Her treatment became more intensive, including more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. During that time, her husband cared for her and their daughters while the family went through another round of treatment.
“My husband was a frickin’ trooper. Like, it was unbelievable. He was taking care of the kids and taking care of me,” she said.
During that treatment, Hildt suffered a cardiac arrest while in hospital. Her husband and daughters were there when she suddenly felt unwell. What followed became one of the defining moments of her cancer journey and one that deeply affected the whole family.
Despite that emergency, Hildt survived and recovered. She said the experience left some lasting effects, including vision changes, fatigue and a sense that parts of her had changed. Even so, she considers herself extraordinarily fortunate given how serious the situation was.
“The statistics on people making it out after a cardiac arrest like that are quite slim, even in the hospital,” she said. “The fact that I made it out and really was pretty much unscathed . . . I just consider this all borrowed time.”
Looking back, Hildt said one of the hardest emotional parts of battling cancer was the feeling that it took time away from her family, even though she survived. The illness and treatment consumed years that might otherwise have been spent more fully with her daughters while they were still young.
But she is still here, and Hildt credits the people and organizations that supported her throughout her treatment. She said she has no complaints about the care she received and described the support from doctors, nurses, Alberta’s health-care system, the military, and her employer as being strong throughout the process.
Now cancer-free since 2011, Hildt said the years since have given her something she values more than anything else – time. Time to watch her daughters grow up. Time to remain part of their lives. Time she once feared she would lose.
Hildt said cancer treatment has come a long way over the years and urges people currently going through treatments not to give up. She said patients should take the medications recommended, rest as much as they need without feeling guilty, and stay focused on the fact that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel. Many cancers are no longer considered terminal, giving patients more reason to keep looking ahead.
