Coast to Coast: A Run for Survivorship is about, and for, Cancer Survivors.
An individual is a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis, through the balance of
his or her life. Family members, friends, and caregivers are also impacted by the
survivorship experience and are therefore included in this definition.
(National Cancer Institute)
To celebrate and honor all the Survivors who face challenges each and every day of their life, Coast to Coast: A Run For Survivorship is pleased to provide an opportunity to learn these
Survivors' life stories. Some of the survivors profiled here have their own fundraising page at our Active.com donation site because one of the special
things about cancer survivors is their willingness and ability to inspire and help each other.
For more information about how you or you're loved one can be profiled, please contact us at:
The Coast to Coast Run Team was lucky enough to meet Dave and Karen Massey while camping in the small town of Ely, NV. Thanks to what some may call fate, Dave and Karen happened to walk through the team's campsite and overhear a conversation about the run. For the rest of the evening they joined the team for a campfire discussion about survivorship, life, and living each day with purpose.
Reggie, a five and a half year breast cancer survivor,
attributes much of her successful recovery to complementary medicine and an
optimistic mindset.
Though she opted to
proceed with a mastectomy and chemotherapy when she was diagnosed with invasive
ductal carcinoma in October 2000, Reggie combined these conventional treatments
with traditional Chinese medicine. She
received acupuncture, massage, and homeopathic remedies for a full year after
diagnosis, and accredits much of her wellbeing to these therapies.
In June 2003, Margaret went in for a routine
mammogram. When over a week passed
without a call from her doctor, she assumed that her results had been
normal. However, two weeks after her
mammogram was administered, she received a card in the mail stating that an
irregularity had been found in the image. Though this news left her uneasy, her doctors did not seem to consider
the situation especially urgent, as they scheduled her follow-up appointment
for one month later.
As is the case with many breast cancer survivors, Kathryn
found her treatment to be easier than her long-term recovery. Diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in
November 2000, Kathryn underwent a lumpectomy, during which she also had all lymph
nodes on the affected side removed. This
procedure was followed by both chemo and radiation therapy.
What Ellen originally believed to be a virus was diagnosed
as pancreatic cancer in February 2004. Ellen’s doctor found that cancer was obstructing her bile duct and
recommended the Whipple procedure, an extensive surgery that involves the
removal of all or part of several structures surrounding the pancreas, as well
as the re-routing of the digestive tube around the affected area. In Ellen’s case, this meant the removal of
her gallbladder, bile duct, half of her pancreas, and part of her stomach.
While most men with testicular cancer are forced to face the
daunting fact that they may only conceive children through an in vitro process
if at all, Bob defied the odds. After
surviving two occurrences of testicular cancer, Bob was able to naturally
conceive his now two-year-old son Josh, disproving statistics and demonstrating
a will to live so strong that it ultimately brought another life into the
world.
At 34 years old, Teri discovered a small lump in her left
breast that turned out to be a two cm tumor that lay too close to her chest
wall to be seen in a mammogram. As her
grandfather had passed away from cancer and her mother was a 20 year survivor,
Teri knew what she was up against. She
proceeded with an ultrasound, which confirmed her doctor’s suspicions that she
did, in fact, have cancer. The next step
would be to decide on a treatment plan, a process that Teri equates with a game
show.
Marie, a one year survivor of
uterine cancer, listened to her heart to help her to determine the best way to
treat her illness. In April 2005, she received the news that she had a
cancerous tumor in her uterus.Her
gynecologist scheduled a hysterectomy to take place in two weeks. However, Marie’s
oncologist delayed the surgery so she could get to know Marie’s cancer better.
Marie knew that with the delay, she would be unable to attend her nephew’s
wedding – an event she’d been looking forward to for some time.
Nancy Marino
Upon returning from her first vacation in the past five years, Nancy
knew that she would be welcomed home by her surgeon who would remove
the benign mass she had found six weeks before. Unfortunately, what
began as a routine procedure resulted in the detection of stage two,
estrogen-resistant breast cancer. A second surgery was scheduled...
Wanda Ottenbreit
In 1993, Wanda received a call at work from her doctor. She was told
that she needed to make an appointment with a surgeon immediately.
Though she had recently undergone a series of tests to identify the
source of her physical symptoms, she had not yet received the results...
Mike Wilson
On Thanksgiving 2004, Mike should have been focused on turkey and
football. Instead, he was preoccupied with the previous day's news that
he had been diagnosed with stage I testicular cancer. Though the
diagnosis came as a shock, Mike was quick to accept his condition and
take action to combat it...
Lorraine Hrubiec
After surviving breast cancer and its accompanying lumpectomies,
radiation, and chemotherapies twice, one would think that Lorraine's
body had proven itself strong and unwilling to succumb to disease.
While this is true in the case of cancer, Lorraine has since been
plagued by a series of illnesses including...
Linda McGowan
On June 8, 2005, Linda was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer. Though
the news was devastating, the diagnosis was made early enough to afford
her more than one treatment option. While a regimen of radiation
therapy and Tamoxifen would lower the chances that Linda's cancer would
reoccur to only 9%, she opted to...
Linda Barrett
When Linda was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in 1996, she was
faced with an inevitable mastectomy and chemotherapy regimen. Due to
the advanced stage at which her cancer was detected, Linda was given
one week to digest the news of her illness and decide whether she would
follow...
Carolyn Coveney
In January 2003, four-and-a-half-year-old Carolyn had a belly ache.
Every few weeks she would complain of stomach pain, which would be
accompanied by vomiting approximately every two weeks. While in most
children Carolyn's age these symptoms would have been characteristic of
a persistent stomach bug...
