Community Corner

Winning Battles with Cancer: 'The Key is Normalcy' and Family

Susan Eszenyi, 44, of Trumbull, a four-time cancer survivor, is awaiting results of a biopsy on a tumor to determine whether she'll have to gear up for a fifth battle. Yet, she remains upbeat.

"When my friend and I went for chemo we would call it 'spa day'," Eszenyi said with a smile. "It sounds more positive than going for chemotherapy treatments."

Eszenyi, who attended the Trumbull-Monroe Relay for Life event at Trumbull High School Friday, first had cervical cancer in 1996, then again the following year. In 2002 she had breast cancer before having to beat it again in 2012.

"You have to take control of your own life and not let cancer run things for you," Eszenyi said. "The key is normalcy."

She said her husband Steve and their sons, Steven, 17, and Bob, 13, have kept her spirits high throughout her medical ordeals.

Bob is a seventh-grader at Hillcrest Middle School and Steve will graduate from Trumbull High School this spring.

"I'm happy I'll be there for that," Eszenyi said of her oldest son's graduation.

Go Carts & Pepto-Bismol

Even when undergoing cancer treatments, Eszenyi said she always encourages her sons to remain active.

"I try to keep them positive and they work harder for me to have things to look forward to," she said. "They get the highest grades."

Both teens are involved in go-cart racing and, when Eszenyi was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, she said news of Steven winning the Men's Adult League Championship for On Track Karting in Wallingford at age 16 cheered her up.

"I'm very proud," she said. "I'm proud of both my boys. I've been blessed."

Another highlight Eszenyi recalled was when Bob's recreational basketball team won the second place trophy in its league.

Eszenyi's husband Steve has provided added motivation for her to regain her health again and return to Lake & Main Service Center, an Irving gas station on Main Street in Trumbull, where they both work.

"They painted my office pink when I was out," Eszenyi said. "It looks like Pepto-Bismol to me. Once I'm back, they said I can paint it any color I want."


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