‘Survivor’ Alum Sunday Burquest Diagnosed With Multiple Cancers

Sunday Burquest, who appeared on Survivor: Millenials vs. Gen X, announced on Monday that her world had been flipped upside down after being diagnosed with multiple cancers. Burquest revealed that doctors informed her that she has both esophageal and ovarian cancer.

In the video in which she shared with her fans, Burquest wore a T-shirt that read, “I survived esophageal and ovarian cancer,” a message that she is ready to fulfill. Burquest previously had a bout with cancer that she survived. She opened up her video by saying, “You know how they say when it rains it pours?” She spoke of the slogan on her shirt, telling her fans that she is “going to do that right now” in reference to surviving the double bout of cancer. “It’s not a super great thing, of course, and not fun to hear,” Burquest continued, adding that she’s done it once and “I will survive again.”

In her bio on the Survivor website, Burquest said that besides her four children, she’s most proud of overcoming breast cancer. She shared that she dealt with five surgeries and eight rounds of chemotherapy, along with 28 days of radiation. “It was important to me that my kids saw me as a warrior rather than as a whiner,” Burquest wrote. She credited her strong faith in helping her deal with the battle. She’ll be tapping into that once again, explaining that her inspiration comes “from my relationship with the Lord.”

Burquest was 45 when she appeared on her season. The Minnesota native was the seventh member of the jury after being the 14th person to be voted on Day 35. Adam Klein ended up claiming top honor as the winner, edging out Ken McNickle and Hannah Shapiro as co-runner-ups.

On that season was Zeke Smith, who lasted until Day 35. Smith put out a post on Instagram shortly after Burquest shared the news of her diagnosis. Smith said he doesn’t know anyone who is “more enthusiastically strong, kind and positive.” He said the two cancer diagnoses she has do not stand a chance against her.

Survivor made its premiere in 1997 and is up to 40 seasons. The latest iteration, Survivor: Winners at War wrapped up in May with Tony Vlachos becoming the most recent victor.