UT Dallas EMS Director Faces Cancer with Courage and Optimism

Sheila Elliott, Director of Emergency Medical Services for the award-winning University Emergency Medical Response (UEMR) team at UT Dallas, is used to caring for others. In late 2024, a routine mammogram made her a patient herself when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Elliott underwent two surgeries, radiation, and 16 rounds of chemotherapy to treat an aggressive tumor that, thankfully, had not spread to her lymph nodes.

To maintain her sense of normalcy, she used cold capping—a scalp-cooling technique that helps prevent hair loss—and wore “silly hats” during long chemo sessions to keep her spirits high.

“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever faced,” Elliott said. “But like every challenge before, I’m meeting it head-on.”

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