Sunday's Cancer Battle
By Abigail Seaberg
Read MoreDespite being dealt her second cancer diagnosis in June 2020, Burquest fought bravely and drew on her faith and Survivor experience for the will to carry on. In an Instagram post, Burquest compared her cancer battle to a frustrating and utterly exhausting immunity challenge she faced on the show.
"This challenge was one of my most difficult of the game," Burquest wrote under a picture of her competing. "That day, even fighting my way through the hot sand I had hope. Today fighting through cancer and symptoms, I HAVE HOPE."
Adam Klein, winner of Burquest's season, could attest to her grit but took to social media on Sunday to share a deeper glimpse of her selfless character.
"A couple days ago, I texted Sunday to check in and send some love. That night, her daughter responded with a message from Sunday: 'She is going to say hi to your mom for you,'" Klein wrote in an Twitter post. "Sunday ALWAYS thought about others first. Until we all meet again."
Survivor host Jeff Probst also had kind words to say about his show's former contestant.
"Sunday Burquest had one of the brightest smiles of any person to ever play Survivor. She radiated kindness and understanding to anyone lucky enough to be in her presence," Probst wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. "She seemed to understand better than most, that life is for living, so say yes to life whenever possible."
But Burquest's impact was not confined to the world of reality television. She was an author, speaker and former youth pastor for Living Word Christian Center's Northwest campus in Rogers, Minnesota.
"Your faith was as powerful as your fight," the Living Word Northwest wrote in an Instagram post Sunday. "It was an honor to call you a friend and a blessing to have you as part of our Northwest family."
Burquest is survived by her husband and four children. Kennedy Burquest shared a loving dedication to her mother on Instagram Sunday.
"To my unbelievably beautiful mama, Thank you. Thank you for fighting as hard as you did for as long as you did. Thank you for being a best friend, a role model, a sister, and my mother all in one," Kennedy wrote. "I know one day we will meet again. Until then, I'll spend every minute missing you, and trying to make you proud."
What is Esophageal Cancer?
Burquest was diagnosed with esophageal cancer that had spread to her ovaries. Esophageal cancer is more common in American men, according to the American Cancer Society. Of more than 19,000 cases of esophageal cancer expected to be diagnosed in 2021, about 4,000 will be diagnosed in women. Risk factors for esophageal cancer include smoking, alcohol consumption, acid reflux disease and obesity.
Esophageal cancer is rare, and often difficult to diagnose. For those reasons, there hasn't been a whole lot of progress in treating the disease in recent years. In a previous conversation about treating esophageal cancer, Dr. Raja Flores, chairman of thoracic surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet that the disease is often diagnosed in the later stages meaning, like Burquest's, the disease has already spread to distant parts of the body.
"Of [all the cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year], only about 1,000 get surgery, because the majority of them are identified at such a late stage," he said.
Because surgery is not often an option for patients with advanced esophageal cancer, chemotherapy and radiation may be given to try to keep the cancer under control for as long as possible. In some instances, immunotherapy may be used.
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