By Kristin Holtz, Correspondent

They say one of the hardest moments for a person undergoing chemotherapy is when their hair starts falling out.

Watching clumps of locks fall to the floor is often the exact moment the reality of the situation hits home.

For Angel Theis of Shakopee, it was exactly the freedom she was looking for. “I loved being bald,” she said.

That says a lot about Theis.

At 30, Theis has been through her share of medical trials. An acute myelogenous (AML) leukemia survivor, Theis now has a permanent heart defilibrator and pacemaker embedded in her chest. She’s endured migraines, nausea, weakness, thousands of needle pokes and prods, and dozens of boring hospital stays. Still through it all, Theis has kept a positive attitude.

“There was times when I didn’t think I was going to (get through it), but deep down, you know you will. You just go minute-by-minute and then by the hour and then by the day,” Theis said.

Theis will share that message of strength to inspire cancer patients and their families as honorary chair of the Scott County Relay For Life July 10 at Vaughn Field at the junior high school in Shakopee.

Theis first participated with Relay For Life in 2007, less than a year after her diagnosis, when she walked Vaughn track as part of the Survivor’s Lap. Last year, Theis organized her own team — Angels Among Us.

This year, in addition to being honorary chair, Theis is a member of the Kourage for Karen team, which supports Karen Hentges, a Shakopee woman undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“You sure become attuned to what other people are going through,” said Nancy Theis, Angel’s mother. “Each time you hear (about a cancer diagnosis) we have to say a little prayer for them.”

Theis was diagnosed with AML leukemia on Oct. 24, 2006, following a bone marrow biopsy. She had the feeling something was wrong when she found black and blue marks all over her legs but hadn’t bumped into anything to bruise. After a three-day stay at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, the tests came back indicating leukemia. She was transferred directly to Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park where she underwent a full month of treatment.

“That was the longest month, let me tell you that,” Theis said.

In the hospital, Theis endured regular chemotherapy treatments and blood transfusions. Once, her port, a device used to administer the chemo, became infected and had to be removed. She also had several catheter lines become infected, too. She was sick and weak for most of the month.

When Theis left the hospital — a couple of days shy of Thanksgiving — life didn’t get much easier. The medicine made her sick, so her cancer doctor, Joseph Leach, often had to admit her into St. Francis for five-day stays. Not only was she weak, she was collapsing and vomiting from the chemo. Even the preventative medications made her ill.

“At first I just wanted to change my address to St. Francis because I was so sick,” she said.

Eventually the treatments and doctor visits decreased from every other week to every three months. A year and a half after being diagnosed with leukemia, she went into remission.

Nancy Theis said it wasn’t until after the cancer went into remission that the family could look back on what her daughter had been through.

“It caught us completely off guard,” she said. “You just don’t think that your child could just get leukemia. But Angel was so strong. She is my inspiration.”

Remission was a short joy for the Theis family. Months later, in October 2008, Theis was back in the hospital with congestive heart failure.

According to Nancy Theis, the chemotherapy drugs Theis has taken for all those months had caused irreparable damage to Theis’ heart. In January, doctors surgically implanted a defilibrator and pacemaker, which will be with her the rest of her life.

There’s no doubt it’s been a rough couple of years for the Theises. Angel Theis, who was working in medical records at Crossroads Medical Center in Shakopee when diagnosed, had to leave her job because of the illness. Accustomed to being independent, on-the-go and the caretaker of the family, she had to adjust to a slower pace of life and allow her family to take care of her just a little bit.

“She always knew it would be OK,” Nancy Theis said.

“I think I kind of had to,” Theis replied.

Now, she is ready to move on and is looking to put her medical episodes in the past and pick up her life again. She hopes to get back to work, marry and adopt children. She’d also like to volunteer at a children’s hospital with young cancer patients.

“I feel I am the same old me and that’s what I like about it. I don’t want to feel changed because I’ve been through chemo or lost my hair,” she said.

Looking over at her daughter with a bright smile, Nancy agreed.

“Angel is Angel. Thank goodness.”

Kristin Holtz can be reached at kholtz@swpub.com.