Sheriff Nancy Hove has dedicated her life to making Pierce County a better place.

And Pierce County is showing its gratitude, helping lift up the popular sheriff as she battles brain cancer.

“I’m going to beat this,” said Hove. “I’ve got places to go and things to see.”

She went in for a checkup in the fall for headaches, and her world changed that day.

“It was Sept. 11. Imagine that,” she said. “I thought it was going to be a medication issue. They did a scan and found a tumor. It was directly behind my right eye. That was on a Wednesday. I had surgery two days later.”

She’s received all her care at Maplewood Cancer Center in Minneapolis. The tumor couldn’t be removed because of its location, but samples were taken and a course of treatment was set in motion.

From that first day, her friends, coworkers, law enforcement colleagues, businesses, health care workers and Pierce County residents have done everything in their power to return the love she’s given the community. She’s been Pierce County Sheriff for 14 years, and the Pierce County Peace Officers Benevolent Association jumped into gear, selling

See SHERIFF. NANCY,

Page 3 bracelets to raise money for Sheriff Nancy. The bracelets say Sheriff Nancy – No One Fights Alone. The organization posted on its Facebook site in the fall that it quickly went through its first order and a second was on hand.

“Let’s continue to show our support and remind her that she is not alone in this journey,” the Facebook post said. “You got this, Sheriff Nancy!”

T-shirts were also sold – designed by the sheriff herself – proclaiming “Grey Matter Matters.” The Benevolent Association is made up of law enforcement members from across the county, including the sheriff’s department and local police, as well as officers who work elsewhere and live here.

“They have been so good to me,” Hove said. “I’m amazed by them. I’m amazed everyday by the people in this county, my coworkers, my friends, the businesses, the organizations. It really has been incredible. I feel so loved. Everyone has been so positive.”

“When I had to go in for treatments, I’d get pictures sent to me from other people in law enforcement wearing my shirt. I’d see people wearing them around town. I went in for a treatment, and the health care workers were wearing them. There was so much support for me.”

Between donations, raffles, gifts and meals, Hove made it through her first round of chemo, eight sessions. It was tough. It was exhausting. But it was worth it. She found out that the tumor is nearly gone. She posted on Facebook.

“I had a scan last week and I found out my tumor is 99 percent gone. That was like a world being lifted off my shoulders. I still have some cells hanging around and a couple of small spots that they are not sure about,” she said.

She goes back in Feb. 1 for intensive chemo that will require her to stay away from people for 30 days.

“I will be doing a high dose of chemo to get rid of the rest. They say this will knock me down for a few weeks, but it also has a 60 percent chance that it will not come back,” she said. “I’m going to be working from home, which a lot of people are these days, but it’s going to be hard. I’m very social, and I’m really going to miss seeing people, but I have to do this. They don’t want me in a situation where I would catch anything. I’m going to be going crazy. I need to see people.”

Sheriff Nancy already knew she loved Pierce County when this ordeal started. As soon as she gets through this – and she’s going to – she has a big job ahead of her when this pandemic ends.

“Hopefully I can hug everyone of you and thank you in person,” she said.

Sheriff Nancy Hove

Bracelets that were sold by the Pierce County Peace Officers Benevolent Association to help Sheriff Nancy.