By Chanda Temple
Six weeks.
That’s all it took for Ebony Arrington Steele’s life to change.
Six weeks after being selected as a co-host for a nationally-syndicated radio show in Dallas, Ebony found herself in the doctor’s office to investigate what felt like a hard marble in her right breast.
She was 35, living her dream but now facing her biggest test: cancer.
Doctors gave her two options: have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. Ebony opted for the mastectomy.
“One of the things you fear is the unknown,” Ebony said. “And what I didn’t want to do was fear the disease. So, I wanted to be as aggressive as possible, ensuring that (the cancer) did not come back.”
She underwent testing and had set up dates for surgery and chemo with a hospital in Dallas. But her father, always the researcher, called Ebony and begged her to reconsider. He wanted her to move her surgery and treatment to UAB in Birmingham, AL because he had found that UAB was ranked much higher than the Dallas hospital she had already selected.
Ebony had a lot to think about: She had recently left Birmingham, so how was she going to record a national show in Dallas and return to Birmingham for chemo? But she developed a plan. First, she had to undergo all new testing at UAB. Then, she had surgery in Birmingham and later set up her chemo schedule.
She worked in Dallas, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. She got off the air at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, caught a flight to Birmingham at 11:30 a.m,. and arrived for chemo at 3 p.m. She took Wednesday evening, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to cover. Then, she flew back to Dallas on Sunday. She returned to the airwaves on Monday morning.
Chemo took four months.
She was diagnosed in October 2007 and completed her treatment around April 2008.
Care from loved ones carried her through her treatments. After her first chemo session, Ebony’s mother brought home her favorites: the pad prik chicken from Birmingham’s Surin West and the chicken pasta from Costa’s Mediterranean Cafe. But as soon as Ebony walked through the door, she couldn’t handle what filled the air.
“I almost felt like I was about to faint because of the smell. It was so strong,” she said. “I didn’t realize how it would affect me. So, I went from wanting foods that were flavorful to wanting foods that were just a little bland during that time.”
Ebony had to go with the coconut shrimp soup from Surin. And although cancer may have weakened her stomach, it didn’t weaken her will to fight for herself and her dance students.
During chemo, Ebony made a promise to herself that she would be ready to stand with her dance students in May 2008 during their recital at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. (She owns Ebony Arrington Dance and Performance in Birmingham.)
So, she and her sister, Bronze, choreographed a dance to India Arie’s “I Am Not My Hair.” At the end of the performance, the students removed their wigs, along with Ebony. There, for everyone to see, Ebony showed what cancer couldn’t kill.
By going public about her breast cancer on the radio show and at the recital, women felt empowered to get their yearly mammograms and do self-breast exams. One woman in her mid-60s told Ebony that Ebony’s journey inspired her to get a mammogram because she was afraid to know the results. But Ebony reasoned that it would have been worse if the woman never knew.
“One of the things I promised myself was I wanted to be a visible example to other women out there,” Ebony said.
Impacting women has been one of Ebony’s victory laps. Another one has been beating cancer.
When she took that radio job in 2007, she asked God: “What will be my message? What will I talk about?” He gave her that answer rather quickly, and she’s still doing His work.
She operates two dance studios in the Birmingham area; has dance programs with Birmingham and Jefferson County schools systems; and teaches a line dance class with her Slide Tribe on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Uptown Jazz Lounge in Birmingham. (Their next session will be Oct. 30 at 2250-B 9th Ave.North with the theme of “Give Cancer the Boot.” Admission for breast cancer survivors will be $6 and admission for others will be the regular fee of $12. )
Soon, she will go live with a new podcast, Steele Standing, on the Urban Information Network, a streaming service. She will talk about a myriad of topics, including breast cancer.
When asked what does she think about her life coming real circle with her back on the airwaves, she said: “The things that you hope and dream for will come to you.”
“My story happens to inspire others, and if that’s my purpose that God has put me here for so, let it be that,” she said.
NOTE: In America, one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will be profiling one female breast cancer survivor each day in October 2025. The stories will also highlight a food from a Birmingham, AL restaurant or food vendor they liked at some point during their breast cancer journey or today. The series is called “SurviveHer at the Table: Food. Faith. Fight.”
Each story posted this month is the opinion of the survivor, with a goal to increase awareness about early detection and treatment for breast cancer. Readers should consult with their physician for medical and health advice and their nutritionist for healthy eating tips. Links to breast cancer resources will be shared in future posts this month.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
Copyright © 2025, All rights reserved.
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