About Joanie Shawhan

Joanie Shawhan is an ovarian cancer survivor and a registered nurse. She writes encouraging articles for women undergoing chemotherapy and is available for speaking engagements. Publishing credits include Coping with Cancer magazine, God Still Meets Needs and The Upper Room.

For three years, Joanie trained under many publishing industry professionals at the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference and Write-to-Publish. She is a member of WordGirls and Friends of the Pen.

She speaks to medical students about ovarian cancer in the Survivors Teaching Students program sponsored by the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance. She is a member of her local ovarian cancer group, The Fried Eggs—Sunny-Side Up. When not writing or attending her book clubs, Joanie enjoys designing jewelry, knitting, and playing guitar.

Why Joanie Started Writing

One night, Joanie’s life changed forever. She rolled over in bed and felt a mass in her abdomen—ovarian cancer. As a nurse with an oncology background, she felt she should have been equipped to handle a diagnosis of cancer, but she found herself with more questions than answers. Where could she go for more information, support, and camaraderie? She sought out other ovarian cancer survivors, but found no support groups, Facebook groups, or Gilda’s Clubs. Were there other survivors? Joanie chronicled her cancer journey hoping to help other women navigate cancer and its treatment. Later she realized other women had their own unique cancer stories waiting to be shared—everyday women with everyday lives interrupted by cancer. Since their experiences were different from hers, she wanted to include their stories to make In Her Shoes: Dancing in the Shadow of Cancer relatable to more women. Joanie hopes to come alongside others with the help she desired when she went through her treatment.