In Episode 100 of The Real Deal Podcast, where real estate meets real life, we sat down with Shanda Wallace to share a story that moved our entire team to tears.
Shanda courageously opens up about the day she and her husband Jared were told he had terminal Stage 4 cancer at just 43 years old. What followed has been a journey of faith, community, resilience, and hope in the face of unimaginable circumstances.
The Wallace family is also the 2026 recipient of our annual Cornhole for a Cause fundraiser, and after hearing their story, you will understand why.
A Love Story That Started at the Apple Store
Before the diagnosis, before the hospital visits, before the fight of their lives, there was a love story.
Shanda and Jared met at an Apple Store through a mutual friend. What caught Shanda’s attention was not small talk or charm. It was Jared’s heart. When he asked their friend, “How are you really?” she noticed something different.
Nine months later, they were married.
Seventeen years, four children, countless worship nights, entrepreneurial ventures, and church leadership roles later, their life was full, busy, and rooted in faith and community.
Building a Life of Service and Entrepreneurship
Shanda is an entrepreneur at heart. She started as a hairstylist at 16 and eventually opened her own salon in Los Angeles, where their family lived for ten years.
After moving back to Arizona in 2021, she launched Inbox Studio, an email marketing agency serving real estate professionals. Her passion is helping Realtors connect authentically with their communities through meaningful communication.
Jared pursued his calling in marriage and family therapy, supporting couples and small group leaders through counseling and discipleship.
Their lives were centered on service, loving people well, and building community.
Then everything changed.
The Diagnosis Stage 4 Cancer at 43
On April 1st, what began as a routine emergency room visit turned into the shock of a lifetime.
Doctors discovered cancer throughout Jared’s abdomen, lungs, and liver. The diagnosis was Stage 4, terminal, rare, and with no known cure.
The standard of care offered through insurance presented no real hope, only aggressive treatments that would damage his body without promise of meaningful extension of life.
But Shanda and Jared were not ready to accept that outcome.
Choosing Hope Over Despair
Instead of beginning conventional treatment immediately, they sought alternative testing and personalized cancer care through a specialized center.
In an extraordinary move, Jared’s cancer cells were sent to the United Kingdom where they were grown and tested against nineteen different treatments to determine which therapies would be effective.
The results showed that his cancer was not treatment resistant.
There was hope.
The challenge was that these treatments were not covered by insurance.
Community Support Changed Everything
Before Shanda even had time to process the financial weight of the treatment plan, their community stepped in.
Within weeks, friends, church members, and supporters had raised nearly the full amount needed to begin treatment.
It was a radical shift for a family accustomed to serving others. Suddenly, they were the ones receiving.
And it changed them.
Shanda describes feeling tangible waves of prayer during the hardest days. She speaks of waking up to peace even when circumstances had not changed. She talks about watching her children witness generosity firsthand, seeing friends fix their car, show up with meals, donate funds, and pray.
This is what community looks like.
Nearly a Year of Miracles
Because of these treatments, Jared has had nearly a year of life he likely would not have had otherwise.
He has continued raising his four children. He has continued serving. He has continued playing music at church.
There have been miracles. There have been setbacks. There has been fragile faith and bold faith.
But through it all, there has been hope.
Cornhole for a Cause Supporting the Wallace Family
Each year, The Home Selling Team hosts Cornhole for a Cause, a fundraiser dedicated to blessing one local family in need.
This year, that family is the Wallace family.
Cornhole for a Cause is more than a tournament. It is a way to rally around a family facing medical hardship. It is a way for local businesses to sponsor and give back. It is a way for our real estate community to show up in a tangible way. It is a reminder that generosity changes lives.
Whether you sponsor, donate raffle items, attend, or simply pray, your involvement matters.
How You Can Help
Shanda shared that the most powerful support they feel is prayer. Real prayer. Intentional prayer.
There are also practical needs such as medical costs, ongoing treatments, and financial burdens that come with fighting cancer outside traditional insurance coverage.
When you give, sponsor, or show up, you are not just easing financial strain.
You are shaping the hearts of four children watching their community love them well.
You are giving a family space to focus on faith instead of fear.
You are participating in something eternal.
Real Estate Meets Real Life
At The Real Deal Podcast, we believe real estate is about more than homes. It is about people.
Sometimes the most important stories we share are not about listings or markets. They are about faith, resilience, and what it looks like to stand together during the hardest seasons.
Episode 100 is a reminder that even in grief, there can be goodness. Even in hardship, there can be generosity. Even in terminal diagnoses, there can be hope.
If this story moved you, consider getting involved in Cornhole for a Cause. Pray for the Wallace family. Share their story.
Because when the community shows up, miracles happen.