Almost twenty years ago, Sharon Van Meter was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Then she found a tumor behind her ear that was treated with an experimental radio frequency to shrink the tumor. In 2002, Van Meter was diagnosed with ovarian and cervical cancer. Van Meter, a three-time cancer survivor, whose cancer experiences have inspired her to donate her time to charity events benefiting hospice organizations who care for cancer patients, travels the country cooking first class meals to raise funds.

As a child, Van Meter was a gymnast who trained to join the 1972 Olympic team. After that, she went on to become the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, a professional culinary school. According to the Baxter Bulletin feature article about Van Meter, she says her parents were originally against her career choice. Her father wanted her to follow in his footsteps as a lawyer. "It was 1973, I didn't speak French and I ended up at this school with 573 boys," she said. "I cried for the first three months I was there." Van Meter said she passed the time by sending telegrams and calling home. She complained to her mother that the school didn't even have a bathroom for her so she had to stand up like the men. "She sent me a telegram, which I still have today, that said, 'I love you very much. Learn to stand,''" Van Meter said. "That's when the girl in me quit crying and the athlete in me came out to compete." Van Meter faces cancer in much the same way as she has with all of her life endeavors, as an athlete, pressing forward and forging her own path.
Photo credit: Kevin Pieper