By Sydney Holder Riverbend News
Taylor Sapp, a 23-year-old Lake City Police Officer and lifelong resident of Suwannee County, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in May 2021. Her story has brought the communities of Columbia and Suwannee Counties together to support her.
Sapp has lived in Suwannee County her entire life, having graduated from Branford High School and Saint Leo University with a Bachelor's degree in criminal justice. A hard-working young lady, Sapp has achieved many of her life goals before the age of 21; she earned two degrees, graduated from the police academy and became a police officer. Right now, her only goal is to get rid of her cancer.
Leading up to her diagnosis, Sapp became concerned about her health when she started experiencing sharp pains on her left side, near her ribs. What she thought might have been a severely pulled muscle ended up taking a turn for the worst. The doctors discovered Sapp had a 10.3 x 7.3 cm tumor.
"It kept me up all night and eventually I couldn't even lay down without being in pain," Sapp said. "I went to Lake City Medical Center to get it checked out. I thought I just pulled a muscle. They did an x-ray to see if I fractured a rib and that's when they found a tumor."
This unexpected dilemma not only shocked Sapp and her family but also caused her entire livelihood to change. Sapp discovered she would have to take at least 17 weeks of leave from serving her community during her chemotherapy and recovery.
"I know none of this has been easy for my family or friends," Sapp said. "They've been by my side every step of the way and I'm very thankful for them. It definitely hasn't been an easy job to deal with me during this."
Sapp is still in the middle of her treatments, having finished her second round of chemotherapy on Saturday, May 29 and is currently in her third. She has three more rounds of chemotherapy to complete her treatment.
"Each treatment wipes me out a little more," Sapp said. "The last treatment I had really knocked me down for a couple of days. I feel okay right now. I just have to take it easy and rest a lot, something I'm not used to."
So far, the treatments have been successful and Sapp has shared this good news on her personal Facebook blog, “TaylorStrong.” She revealed on Monday, June 14, the scan of the tumor has shrunk to a size of 7.0 x 2.1 cm, a remarkable improvement.
Sapp created her Facebook blog, on Thursday, May 6. She has been using the page to update her friends and followers on her treatments, recovery and wellbeing.
Friends of Sapp created the Facebook Group, “Taylor Sapp – Cuffing Cancer,” to promote their online cake auction. Following the successful fundraiser, which raised over $25,000, they decided to continue using the page to share her progress and future fundraiser events.
After learning about the stories of Dalton Izell and Elisabeth Czaban, Sapp asked admin Sarah Wheeler to include them in the Facebook group discussions and fundraiser events. Sapp is adamant about supporting others with their battles against cancer and her kindness makes her a genuine and loving individual.
"If you've been following my story, then you know about Dalton and Liz," Sapp said. "Please remember to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they are also fighting against cancer. If you can donate to them, please do."
Sapp closes on a statement to her community: "Thank you so much for all of your support. I will forever be grateful for all of you. I'm really blessed to have such an amazing community."
Ways to support Taylor:
• GoFundMe page hosted by Ashley Wickline and Gretell Bates, #TaylorStrong. Visit the page at https://gofund.me/bf06c66.
• Taylor's Cash App Account: $tnicsapp
• Lafayette State Bank Account: The account is in Troy and Amanda Sapp's name, but mention #TaylorStrong and the money will go into Taylor's benefit account.
• Purchase yourself a #TayStrong t-shirt. Contact Lynne Buchanan on Facebook with size and info for shipping or pick-up.