Choose Joy. Let these two words sink in. To some, these two simple words mean nothing, but to Madeline Cook-Saunders, these two words give her optimism in a time of suffering.
Cook-Saunders, a member of the University of North Texas dance squad, has lived by this phrase since she received a diagnosis of ovarian cancer on Jan. 1. While friends were ringing in the New Year, Maddie spent the coming days trying to process her cancer diagnosis.
“It was a lot of denial when I first found out,” Cook-Saunders said. “My mom would say ‘you have cancer’, and I would respond ‘no I don’t.’ At first, I kind of shut down and it took me a couple of weeks to have it sink in.”
Doctors diagnosed Madeline – also known as Maddie by her teammates, friends and family – with premature ovarian failure in the fall of 2018 after performing an ultrasound that revealed the deformation of Maddie’s ovaries.
This past December, Madeline underwent surgery to have her ovaries removed.
During surgery, her doctors took biopsies of her ovaries to help determine the cause of the deformation and failure. Soon after, the 20-year-old student at the University of North Texas found out she had cancer.
Throughout the month of January, doctors told Maddie there was a 99 percent chance she would need to undergo chemotherapy.
As Maddie prepared herself for the upcoming fight, she received a call filled with good news on Feb. 6. After reviewing her biopsy results, doctors told Madeline that her case was “unique”, and she would not have to endure chemotherapy.
“It was a weight off my shoulders,” Cook-Saunders said. “I know that’s kind of cliché, but that’s really what it felt like.”
Madeline will remain on an enhanced monitoring program designed to catch the cancer if it returns, and she has moved back to Austin with her family for the recovery process.
Since the cancer diagnosis, Maddie has made a few visits back to UNT to perform with her dance squad. Most recently, she performed courtside at the North Texas men’s basketball games against Florida Atlantic and Marshall.
Cook-Saunders said her outlook on life has changed in the past two months and wishes she was in Denton attending classes to earn her degree in criminal justice.
“I don’t take the little things in life for granted,” Cook-Saunders said. “Last semester, I would complain about having to walk all the way to the Business Leadership Building if I was on the opposite side of campus. Now, I’m living at home this semester, and I wish I could do those things.”
Throughout Maddie’s fight, the North Texas Dancers have gone to social media to share her story. On Twitter, the Mean Green community has shown compassion while aiding Madeline in her battle against cancer.
“My team has given me a tremendous amount of support and helped me stay positive,” Cook-Saunders said. “I’m so grateful for everybody who has given their support throughout the past two months.”
Maddie hopes sharing her story will help ease the worries of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer and possibly inspire them to choose joy even during difficult times.
“There’s not a lot of awareness about ovarian cancer,” Cook-Saunders said. “I want to be someone who people can rely on and ask questions. I want to spread as much awareness as I can.”
Regardless of circumstances, Maddie will continue to Choose Joy.
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