The mayor of Mount Vernon opened up for the first time about a life-threatening medical emergency that led to a rare cancer diagnosis.

Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard talked about her journey while also raising awareness and celebrating two years of being cancer-free.

“They told me clearly, if I ever would have gone to sleep that night, that I would have not woken up," said Patterson-Howard.

That was in 2024. Patterson-Howard says she was exhausted. She thought it was just from life and work.

“I could barely make it from my driveway to my front door," Patterson-Howard explained.

She went to the hospital. That's where she learned she suffered a saddle pulmonary embolism.

“They rushed me into surgery," Patterson-Howard said.

All of that led to another alarming discovery.

“If it were not for the blood clot, they would not have found the cancer," said Patterson-Howard. Patterson-Howard was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma.

“Sarcomas are far less common. They come from different tissues, different organs," said Dr. David Geller during Monday's conversation with the mayor.

The mayor underwent another surgery.

“It was really work that kept me focused and helped me to understand that there was purpose in my life," said Patterson-Howard.

While continuing to serve as a city leader, she kept her health private.

"I needed to figure out how I was going to get this. I had to get more information, I had to speak to more doctors and I had to have conversations with my husband," said Patterson-Howard.

But she hopes by speaking out now, she will help others.

“If sharing my experience causes one person to listen to their body, make the appointment, ask another question, or seek a second opinion, then telling my story had a purpose," Patterson-Howard explained.