Seven years into late-stage cancer, Urbana alderwoman 'still thriving'

Aug. 10—URBANA — Seven years after she was diagnosed with a rare and late-stage cancer, Urbana Alderwoman Chaundra Bishop knows there's just no one-size-fits-all look for this disease.

"Living with cancer hasn't really impacted my ability to work and serve and live an abundant life," she said. "I like to think that I am proof that cancer doesn't look the same in all people."

The 36-year-old Bishop — who will turn 37 next week — is currently in the midst of a four-year term on the Urbana council.

She was 29 when she was first diagnosed in July 2016 with Stage 4 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer in the bile ducts inside the liver.

At the time, she had no symptoms, Bishop said. She saw her doctor for a checkup, and blood work turned up an elevated level of liver enzymes — leading to the discovery of a mass in her liver.

She remembers her doctor reaching for a box of tissues to deliver her biopsy results — malignant — and her reaction to the news being, "What is the game plan?"

"It was definitely shocking, don't get me wrong, but I'm more the type of person that, 'OK, we've identified the problem, now let's start working on a solution,'" Bishop said.

Originally from Chicago's South Side, Bishop said she grew up with the attitude that there's no sense wallowing in a situation. Better to use your energy solving the problem.

She first came to Urbana to work with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Vermilion County Health Department and is now a regional health officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health, working with public health administrators in 13 counties.

For a brief time, Bishop said she thought cancer was behind her.

In 2017, chemotherapy treatments had shrunk the tumor in her liver enough for surgery, "so I thought the journey was over," she recalled. "Cancer is gone, and I can get back to focusing on other things."

The removal of 60 percent of her liver got rid of the cancer in that part of her body. But later the same year, spots were found in her lungs.

Having exhausted all the standard treatments, Bishop said she's been enrolled in various clinical trials for the past four years.

"Despite enrollment in these clinical trials, the number of tumors in my lungs have very slowly increased, and I remain in pursuit of the elusive cure," she said.

The treatments have come with side effects — including hair loss, fatigue, nausea, neuropathy, digestive issues, sensitivity to cold, mouth sores, dry eyes and joint pain, Bishop said.

Because of the lung tumors, she's also developed shortness of breath and a cough. Recently, a couple of the tumors were removed, and she underwent radiation.

"The result? Let's just say the cough and shortness of breath remains today," she said.

While she rocked a bald head when she ran for city council and hasn't kept her illness a secret, Bishop said people are still often shocked to find out she has cancer — largely because she doesn't look sick and is still working full time and involved in the community.

In addition to the city council, she serves on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action and is president of the local chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.

Fellow Alderwoman Jaya Kolisetty said she and Bishop didn't know each other when they began serving on the council together two years ago, and she now sees Bishop as an "incredible asset to the community."

"I think, honestly, the dedication she shows and the way she shows up, you would never know she has cancer," she said.

Kolisetty said she and Bishop proposed funding for and have been involved in launching a comprehensive review of the city's public-safety strengths and weaknesses — an undertaking they both believe is important.

Or, as Bishop says, "public safety is also public health."

"One of the things I love the most about Chaundra is, despite the fact that she has personal complications — and I think that's underselling it quite a bit — she is probably one of the most civil and pleasant human beings that I have ever worked with in city government," said Rich Surles, the city's deputy police chief. "She's really just leaned into life, and I'm sure it's hard for her, but she doesn't really show that."

Darius White, the city's economic development coordinator, said he's gotten to know Bishop over the last couple of years and has found her "extremely resilient" in serving the city and her ward.

"One project we partnered with was the Champaign County Black Chamber of Commerce and efforts to support Black and nontraditional businesses," he said. "She was extremely interested in the process and asked to be more hands on."

When she was first diagnosed, Bishop said she wanted to let as few people as possible know about it.

Since then, she's become an advocate, sharing her experience with fellow patients through the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.

"I am offering hope to other Cholangio patients because the survival rate is five years, and here I am at seven, still thriving," she said. "I am offering hope to people that no matter your circumstances, you have something to offer to make the community better."

What's next for Bishop? She says she wants to continue her career in public health and continue serving her community and plans to run for re-election in 2025. And that's as far out as she's planned.

"I still feel young. I still feel like I have a lot to accomplish in my life," she said.