Posted 1:07 am Sunday, June 17, 2012
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Daniel Will Never Let Cancer Stop Her
Suzanne Daniel is dedicated to busy living in spite of having cancer.
In 2007, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which has recurred for the fifth time. Mrs. Daniel, 72, said she feels truly blessed that she has stayed on her feet and has been able to overcome the cancer each time it comes back.
"I'm like the Energizer Bunny -- I keep going and going," she said.
Two years ago, Mrs. Daniel started a support group called You, Me and the Big C. Although it is housed at her church, Marvin United Methodist Church, she said only four church members are a part of the group, which is now 30 women strong. She said the group takes a lot of her time, but she formed it because there was no such group just for women.
"We are very dedicated to continue busy living in spite of the cancer," she said.
They also raise funds to help women with cancer whose insurance has fallen through the cracks, whether it is paying for a mammogram or for gas to get to a treatment, she said.
Mrs. Daniel and her husband of 37 years, Craig, 70, retired after owning a landscaping business in Dallas for 27 years. They bought 40 acres in Tyler in 2000 and after shutting down their business, moved to Tyler in 2005.
Mrs. Daniel knew they wanted to give back here, she said, adding that Tyler is a loving, giving community. She and her husband volunteer for PATH, (People Attempting to Help), and Mrs. Daniel is also involved with the Literacy Council of Tyler and the Children's Advocacy Center of Smith County.
"She never stops," Daniel said of his wife, adding that in between chemotherapy treatments, she continues to help others and spend time with friends. He said she has become more outgoing since being diagnosed with cancer.
Daniel is also busy giving back to the community, working to make 100 book cases for Marvin United Methodist Church's Christmas House held at the St. Paul Children's Foundation each year. Mrs. Daniel said so many books have been donated to the children they are in dire need of the 3-by-3-foot book cases.
Mrs. Daniel said their landscaping business began as a hobby. Starting out of the back of her car with one customer, the business soon grew to more than she could handle on her own. Her husband left the air conditioning business, and they started working together.
The Daniels had 55 employees with their Dallas business, which included a garden center, lawn maintenance, landscaping design, installation and construction, a plant and flower growing operation and sprinkler systems -- spanning the entire gamut of lawn care, she said.
They chose to retire to Tyler because it is a mid-point between their daughter in Quitman, son in Shreveport, La., and son in Dallas.
Daniel said they bought the Tyler property in 2000, thinking they would soon move here. But they ended up spending every weekend in Tyler for five and a half years before finally retiring and moving here in September 2005. He said they live in a house on the property that was built in 1960, but they have added on to it.
After deciding the 40 acres off Old Noonday Road and Grande Boulevard was too much for just the two of them to live, they decided to put on their developer hats, Mrs. Daniel said. Located in Hidden Hollow Acres, they have developed 15 acres consisting of a dozen lots, each roughly 1 acre. They finished the lots three years ago, just before "everything caved in," Mrs. Daniel said, nodding to the economy. They have joined the Tyler Area Builders Association and hope now that the economy has picked up, they can sell the builder-ready lots. "It is such a wonderful location," she said.
"Everything is coming this way," Daniel said, referring to all of the development going on in the Old Jacksonville area. "It's just a matter of holding on." He said the lots are rolling with lots of trees and they do have a restriction that buyers cannot clear cut the property.
For more information about the properties, call Daniel at 903-262-4036.
