Alum helping lead multifront battle against cancer

By Lauren Yanks '19 M.Div.
Anthony Sandusky headshot

Anthony Sandusky

Anthony Sandusky ‘18 M.A.R. credits his mother for his well-rounded childhood in a predominantly African American neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as a close-knit community that enabled him to thrive. 

“As kids, we played a lot of football, basketball, and explored the neighborhood,” he said. “I never felt alone.”

The formative experiences of his youth, combined with his varied education—including YDS—propel Sandusky in his vocation as an advocate and organizer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and as a champion for broader healthcare access and knowledge. 

Whether he is lobbying government representatives, attending health fairs, visiting senior centers, or educating people at community events, Sandusky works to ensure healthcare access for all.

A worldly education

After high school, Sandusky attended American Baptist College in Nashville, an HBCU with renowned alums like civil rights leaders and congressman John Lewis and the minister C.T. Vivian, referred to by Martin Luther King Jr. as “the greatest preacher to ever live.”

“I loved the college,” said Sandusky. “It was amazing to be with folks who understand the history. I especially loved learning about the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville.”

Sandusky’s studies also enhanced his spiritual life. He went on to earn an M.Div. with a certificate in Black Church Studies from Vanderbilt University.

While working with King’s papers for an independent study, Sandusky concentrated on the civil rights prophet’s understanding of the Beloved Community, a communal vision built on peace, justice, equity, and love. While exploring this grand vision, Sandusky was taken with the ordinary facets of King’s life.

“It was so interesting to see his itinerary and letters,” he said. “They underscored how ‘normal’ he was. They show what each of us can do if we put our minds to it.” 

After graduating from Vanderbilt, Sandusky took a position as associate pastor at a Baptist church in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.

“It was my first time living in New York, and I fell in love with its grit, its diversity, and its culture,” he said. “It became home.”

One formative incident in New York occurred after the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

“Michael Brown’s death in August 2014 hit me hard,” Sandusky said. “While at a protest in Times Square, I suddenly found myself right in front where a mass of police guards blocked the way. I had to decide whether to continue moving forward and getting arrested.”

Not having spoken to the church about what to do if arrested, Sandusky chose to fall back.

“It made me question the role of the church at this point of history,” he said.

This decisive moment would ultimately lead Sandusky to Yale’s doorstep.

“I wanted to study the ethics of the church more deeply,” he said. “YDS has the slogan of devotion to faith and intellect, and I was wrestling with the balance between them.”

’Prevention is the cure’

At YDS, Sandusky was able to delve deeply into Black and Womanist theology, and the context and history from which it emerged. 

“I explored these topics with amazing professors like Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman and Dr. Willie Jennings,” he said. “They helped provide me with a deeper connection between my faith and intellect.” 

After graduation, Sandusky moved back to New York and taught courses at a couple universities on the teachings of King. He became active in issues like affordable housing and mass incarceration until his aunt—a healthy, active, 72-year-old woman—suddenly became ill. 

“She was diagnosed with colon cancer and died within a year,” he said. 

For Sandusky, this traumatic experience revealed the inequities in healthcare and led to a job lobbying to better the system. 

In his work for ACS CAN, Sandusky advocates for expanded testing for prostate cancer, which has the highest impact on African American men, as well as for improvements in lung cancer screening and tools to help patients find their way through the mazelike healthcare system.

“Patients are often overwhelmed by the healthcare system, so it’s important to have someone to help navigate their journey,” he said.

“We all have more power than we realize, especially when we come together. This is about all of us.”

—Anthony Sandusky

To maximize its impact, the lobbying organization establishes relationships in neighborhoods and involves residents in its advocacy work. 

“The more people involved, the greater the impact on the lives of cancer patients,” he said. 

One ACS CAN legislative ambassador and Brooklyn resident is Grace Charrier, a breast cancer survivor.

“I had no symptoms whatsoever,” Charrier said. “I fell in my bathroom, which led me to the hospital. My blood pressure was very high.” 

After a series of tests, the cancer was discovered. She was Stage 3.

“I was in my mid-forties but had never gone for a mammogram,” she said. “Unbelievably, my doctor never sent me.”

At the time, Charrier held down a demanding job and lived a busy life. 

“It was shocking,” she said. “No one expected it. I didn’t feel sick. I thought I fell from fatigue.”

Charrier’s illness inspired her to raise awareness.

“It brought me to work with ACS CAN,” she said. “Prevention is the cure.”

Charrier is very vocal about her experience and wrote a book about it. She calls Sandusky the brother she never had.

“Anthony is a gem,” she said. “He’s empathetic and listens. He doesn’t act like he knows it all. I love our legislative task meetings.”

Another Brooklyn resident and breast cancer survivor, Angela Padmore, has also started to lobby for ACS CAN.

“You don’t realize how many people are affected by the disease,” Padmore said. “It doesn’t matter your race, religion, or color. Cancer brings everyone together in one form or another. Life is more important than anything else. We take so much for granted.”

Padmore was terminated from her job in the automotive industry when she was ill.

“They wanted me to come back to work, but I couldn’t give them a specific date, so they let me go,” she said. “One of the bills we’ve been trying to pass is the paid medical leave act bill, so cancer patients and their families can take off from work and not be reprimanded.”

Healthcare in chaotic times

With recent cuts to Medicaid funding and political upheaval, ACS CAN’s efforts are facing stronger headwinds. 

“We’re lobbying our state governor to allocate for those people getting cut by the federal government,” Sandusky said. 

Every September, ACS CAN lobbies in Washington, D.C. with special representatives from around the country, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Regardless of the current circumstances, this year was no different. Sandusky and his team lobbied members of Congress to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

They also lobbied for an extension of healthcare tax credits—a result of the Affordable Care Act—which expire at the end of the year. Although this year was more difficult than most, “we feel our grassroots efforts will be impactful in the days to come and into the future,” Sandusky said.

Regardless of the political situation, Sandusky and his team will continue to advocate for access to proper healthcare. 

“We are nonpartisan,” he said. “Everyone has been impacted by cancer.” 

Ultimately, Sandusky feels hopeful by the diversity of volunteers who continue to stand up and make their voices heard. 

“We have people from all kinds of backgrounds, upbringings, and environments,” he said. “Everyone is still showing up. We all have more power than we realize, especially when we come together. We must all come together. This is about all of us.”

Lauren Yanks ’19 M.Div. is a writer, professor, and founder of the Blue Butterfly Foundation, www.bluebutterflyfoundation.org(Link is external), a nonprofit organization that rescues and educates women and children who’ve been trafficked and enslaved.