Mission Monday: Reach to Recovery

"How I ached to talk to another woman who had the same experience and come through it, and so counsel, and reassure, and understand. But so such woman was available!"

Flashback to 1952 and to a woman named Terese Lasser. Like too many women many of us know, she was currently battling breast cancer. Lasser says she felt that the physical aspect of breast cancer was only half the battle - the mental and emotional tole it took was devastating. Determined that no woman should ever feel the same way she did, she took it upon herself to be a resource to other local women facing breast cancer as well. 

And so to kickoff our Mission Monday series and also in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are starting with Reach To Recovery. Reach to Recovery is one of the many services offered by the 

American Cancer Society to cancer patients and their families. Reach to Recovery is a mentoring program for potential, current, and post-breast cancer patients. While medical staff provide an amazing team to help battle the disease, finding mental and emotional support can be a challenge for many patients.

It is designed to offers these people a mentor - someone who has personally been in the same shoes as the people. They, like Lasser did, know what is it like to go through the diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiation, and so much more. They have climbed the same mountains, faced the same news, and pondered the same decisions - and now, as survivors, they can offer support and be a shoulder to lean on for these women and men. 

The volunteers are available in person or through the phone, by day or by night, to both the patient as well as their family. They are trained to offer emotional support and advice on issues on everything from an initial diagnosis to the decision of a mastectomy to the excitement and joy of receiving an all-clear diagnosis. Sometimes, having someone in the non-medical world can be just what a patient needs. When things seem the hardest, sometimes just having someone to talk to and can say they have been there is just what someone needs. 

And so, 63 years late, Reach to Recovery is a flourishing program - available to both men and women in all 50 states and multiple countries. All striving to be a community and support system for those that need it, and to serve as a reminder that cancer does not define anyone - just because someone needs a hand-up does not mean they are any weaker than the cancer, if anything it means we are bigger because of our ability to join together and stand to it. 

Through the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program, cancer survivor Valarie Jansen, right, has been providing one-on-one support to Brenda Davis, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and again in 2008. 
http://blog.mlive.com/kalamazoo_gazette_extra/2008/10/pairing_patients_with_survivor.html

"For more information about this program or any other programs, please contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-277-2345  or visit cancer.org

With RELAYlove, 

(your favorite blog manger) 

Maria Wnorowski

Spotlight Saturday: Maddy Rabil

Meet Maddy! She is currently a first-year student, and not only is she a new member of the Food Committee, but she is also the top fundraiser signed up for the main Relay for Life event on April 15th! Check out her fundraising page here! Way to go Maddy!! 

Name: Maddy Rabil  

Year: 1st

Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Major: Pre-Comm

Why you Relay: In 2005, I lost my grandma to pancreatic cancer, and in 2009 I lost my dad to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Cancer has taken some of my favorite people away from me, and Relay makes me feel like I am actively doing something to end this awful disease versus just talking about it and waiting for change. 

Why you are most excited for Relay: I can't wait to meet all of the awesome people involved. Also, this is my first Relay ever so that's really exciting too!

Did you know: In high school I started a Habitat for Humanity chapter at my school! 

Favorite ice cream: Cookie dough

We Are A Movement

I’ve never been one to do much with my hair, so when I showed up to school one day with a drastic haircut, people took notice. I’ve never been one to wear much jewelry either, so when I began showing up to school with a diamond-encrusted gold ring, people took notice. I made these changes because admittedly, I wanted attention, but not for myself.

I absolutely loved it when someone complimented me on my hair (or lack thereof) because I could tell them that mailing 12 inches of my mane was the biggest “Am-I-really-doing-this” moment of my life, but it was so worth it because someone was going to have a wig that made him or herself feel more confident.

I loved to hear from others about their enthusiasm for the idea and how they wanted to donate their own hair (hello bob haircut trend 2013). I also loved (and still love) when people comment on my ring so I can tell them about my aunt who fought pancreatic cancer for over two years, despite the fact that she was told she had two months at the time of diagnosis, and how much I admired her.

Even though I love bringing attention to the fight against cancer, I also hate it. Because of cancer I didn’t get to graduate with my childhood best friend by my side. My aunt can’t fulfill the promise she made to me the last time I saw her: that she would be at my wedding, years down the road. Because of cancer I and millions of other people worry, hurt, and cry over loved ones. But I don’t contemplate passively over how cancer has affected my life. I have too much hope for that.

I, along with so many others, relay because we share the same ridiculously large amount of hope. We channel that hope into the belief that we will finish the fight against cancer. We refuse to be apathetic in a society that has the tools and means to alleviate suffering and find a cure. We look forward to the days where future generations to come won’t ever have to shed tears because someone they know died of cancer. We are a movement.

This movement has so many positive influences, big and small. For me, Relay for Life has blessed me with a family that I wouldn’t trade for the world. For others, specifically cancer patients, Relay for Life funds cancer research, the creation of wigs, transportation for cancer patients, lodges for patients who live great distances, support groups and caregivers, and so much more.

Cancer sucks. Join me and millions of other relayers so we can create a cancer-free world.

With RelayLOVE,

Christina Kim

Team Engagement Committee

Mission Monday: The Movement

Rewind to May of 1985 in Tucoma, Washington. Meet Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal specialist and running enthusiast with a desire to change something. Moderately involved in his local American Cancer Society, Dr. Klatt sought a way to bring more community awareness to the society and give them a way to get more involved.He started by running and walking the track at Baker Stadium for 24 hours which totaled 83 miles (that would be slightly more than running a marathon 3 times). While he circled the track, friends and family could donate $25 to go along with him. Within the course of that year, he raised $27,000, got over 300 friends, family members, and cancer patients involved, and got the ball rolling for what would soon be Relay for Life. 

Fast forward 30 years and Relay for Life is now the largest non-profit cancer fundraising group in the world. Relay takes place in many communities throughout the United States and has also started to have a number of events in other countries including South Africa, Japan, Ireland, and Australia. It has become a huge community movement that ties families, students, survivors, doctors, and so many more together. But in addition to all the fun, Relay for Life is about so much more. The money raised goes out to many organizations and research opportunities and is used to create a cancer free future.  

This year, the Relay for Life Blog at UVA will be having weekly Mission Monday posts. Each highlight a different aspect of what the money earned through Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society goes to. Just a little sneak peek, you will learn more about the Hope Lodge which hosts families and patients currently undergoing treatments. Or Road to Recovery which provides rides to and from treatments for patients. Or Look Good...Feel Better which is all about providing women with opportunities to pick up on little beauty tips - from scarves to wigs - to make chemotherapy more fun.Or about all of the amazing research going on across the world - from top labs in Europe to break through discoveries that have been happening here in our backyard at the UVA Medical School. So starting next Monday, but ready to learn just way Relay is so amazing (in addition to the wonderful people of course).

With Relay Love,

Maria 

CANCER IS REAL

I Relay for Nanny and Papa. But before I tell you my story, I want to acknowledge something: everyone has their own cancer story. Mine is neither better nor worse than anyone else’s, but it is my story. It is the reason I want to see cancer’s cure in my lifetime. It’s the reason I have become involved with Relay For Life at UVa, and it is what I come back to when I get stressed out or unmotivated doing my job with Relay. 

Cancer became real to me when I was in the 5th grade. My parents told me gently that my grandmother (Nanny) had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I didn’t know what cancer was, what an ovary was, or why my mom seemed so upset. Cancer became real though when I saw Nanny’s scars. When I saw her lift up her shirt a couple of days after her surgery, I was wholly unprepared for the sight of a scar running all the way up the length of her stomach. It wasn’t one of those “Oh, you’ll have a great story to tell about that scar” scars. It was a gash, held together by Frankenstein-esque staples. I didn’t know what to say, but at that moment, I began to understand just how real and vicious cancer is.

Cancer became even more real when I shaved my head. I, along with my brothers and cousins, got a buzz cut when Nanny started her chemotherapy. We couldn’t do much to help Nanny in her treatment, but we could try to let her know that we loved her, and shaving our heads as she lost her hair seemed to be the best way that we knew how to tell her . I discovered a little bit of what she must be feeling when I looked in the mirror after that buzz cut. It was horrible. I’ll never shave my head again if I can help it. But the thing is, cancer patients can’t help it. Cancer takes away that decisions of how you want to do your hair. In that moment, looking at my new haircut in the mirror, cancer’s effects became a little more real to me.

Cancer became even more real when Papa, my grandfather, was diagnosed with colon cancer. It seems like just a few days from the time he was diagnosed to the time he passed away, though it was actually a couple of weeks. Cancer was real, cancer was vicious, and cancer was painful as I told Papa how much I loved him in the hospital shortly before he died. I saw how real cancer had become to so many of Papa’s friends and our family at his visitation. It was hard for me to imagine how cancer could be so utterly devastating by taking someone who had meant so much to so many people.

Cancer has become even more real in the past two years at UVa. It has become real as I have met people and heard their stories. It has become real as I have taken classes from professors doing cancer research currently. It has become real as I walk around the track every year at Relay For Life seeing so many names on the Luminaria.

Cancer is real. Now, though, through my work with Relay For Life at UVa, I know that my effect on cancer is real. The money I raise has real effects. The money I raise goes to cancer research. The money I raise goes to give women wigs. The money I raise allows people to get rides to their treatments. The money I raise pays for lodging near treatment facilities for people who have to travel. The money I raise supports advocacy and support groups. The money I raise will one day fund real cures for all types of cancers.

Cancer is real, but so is our work to see its end. Join me and Relay For Life, so that we can live in a cancer free world. 

With RelayLOVE,

Miller Sisson

Greek Recruitment Co-Chair

EVERY BATTLE WITH CANCER ENDS WITH A VICTORY

On March 12, 2014, Shawn Kuykendall beat cancer. Hearing that, you probably picture a triumphant victory over cancer ending with a “happily ever after” and a gradual return to life before cancer. However, that is not the case. During his battle with cancer, Shawn once said, “Live or die, I win” and that is just what he did. Although Shawn eventually passed away, he did not lose his battle. He fought gallantly until the end, and while his outcome may not have been the ideal, it was a victory nonetheless.

Our culture has a way of talking about cancer as a battle. We see cancer patients and we watch them fight with everything they have against an evil disease that is eating away at their bodies. We watch them persevere through the treatment and the bad news. We celebrate every little milestone and ounce of good news with them. And then, when the end draws near, society waits to determine the outcome. Did the person win and beat cancer? Will they get their happily ever after and more years with their family and friends? Or, did the person lose? Did they succumb to cancer, leaving behind all of their loved ones? This is where our narrative is wrong. These cancer patients have spent countless days, months, and years battling cancer day in and day out, and we classify them as victorious simply by the outcome, life or death. If they lived, they won; and, if they died, they lost. We completely overlook every small victory along the way. Every round of chemo they made it through; every surgery; every time their doctors gave them good news. In an instant, all of that is forgotten and and the only thing we consider is did they live or did they die.

Changing this perception isn’t easy. We learn the language surrounding cancer when we first learn about cancer. For some, this doesn’t come until they are older and can truly understand what is happening; but for others, like me, cancer reaches back to some of your earliest memories and it’s hard to even remember a time when cancer wasn’t something you were aware of. When the first person you know finishes their battle with cancer, you hear it. If they survive, society champions them for beating cancer, beating the odds. If they pass away, you hear that “so-and-so” lost their battle to cancer. It isn’t easy to suddenly say that person won, they beat cancer, when you know that they are no longer living. It takes time. In the days leading up to Shawn’s passing, I really started to see the phrase, “Live or die, I win”, all over my social media. However, even after his death, I really struggled to see how this was a win. He was gone. He left behind his family and friends. He had so many people rooting for him, praying, and hoping he would miraculously get better. It wasn’t until last spring when I attended the screening of Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, that I realized he did win. Shawn had the right mentality the entire time, knowing that no matter what happened he would win. It took me over a year and a two-hour long documentary featuring doctors, patients, and parents discussing the small victories they celebrate every day to finally understand what he had known all along.

Now, I know it won’t be easy to change our language surrounding cancer overnight, but we need to work on it. I’ve stopped saying that “so-and-so” lost their battle with cancer and I hope that one day, this phrase will only be a distant memory, that loss will no longer be associated with cancer. Hopefully, we will see a day where this is true, not because we have changed the perception regarding battles with cancer, but because we have found a cure and a cancer diagnosis no longer comes with fear of death. But in the meantime, while we hope and search for a cure, we need to remember that the victory is in the fight, not the outcome, and that every single person who battles cancer wins. Everyone is victorious in the end. Shawn won.

Thomas Hanley beat lung cancer on September 5, 2002.

Shawn Kuykendall beat thymus cancer on March 12, 2014.

Lois Caldwell beat ovarian cancer nearly 10 years ago!

Jerry Sisson beat colon cancer on December 19, 2008.

Candy Sweeney beats ovarian cancer every day!

Melinda Apgar beats breast cancer every day!

Victoria Antonowich beat breast cancer 3 times!

With RelayLOVE,

Meghan Dalbec

Fundraising Committee Co-Chair

INEVITABLE CHANGE

cancer: (noun) can·cer \ˈkan(t)-sər\ a serious disease caused by cells that are not normal and that can spread to one or many parts of the body

Cancer is, quite literally, change. Cancerous cells are created from a body’s own cells with two distinct differences. These cells have mutated, or changed, genes. One, the oncogene, pushes the cell to divide much faster than normal. The other, the tumor suppressor gene, has been “turned off”, your body’s natural defense against tumors shut down. The cells may have one or both of these mutations, and they don’t all look the same or stay the same. Cancer cells are your own cells, changed.

But cancer creates change in other ways too. Lives and lifestyles are all changed by cancer – those of the patient, the caregivers, the family. Change is inevitable with this disease, as with most. Schedules must be conformed to treatments, family meals look different because of diet changes, and the dynamics of family interactions can change. Cancer is change, within and outside of the body.

Most of the time, when we think about cancer and change, it immediately brings forth feelings of dread: we see change associated with cancer as bad. Change means more cancer cells, it means more tumors, bad test results. It means its harder to catch, and harder to beat. Change can be unknown and scary. But what if we could create good change?

I often begin my cancer story with the same line: “My life changed forever in a Marriott in Georgetown”. Dramatic, maybe, but 100% true. I was sitting on the edge of the bed in our hotel room, while my parents sat me down to tell me the news that would change me forever as a daughter, a student, a volunteer, a friend, and a person. That was the day I found out, amidst a flurry of texts from friends who were storming the field at Scott Stadium after a down-to-the-wire win against Miami, that my mother had been diagnosed with late-stage Ovarian Cancer. At that point we thought it was Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma – but that changed too.

My mother underwent extensive chemotherapy, more than 5 hours per treatment, every three weeks, for 4 months, surgery to remove her many tumors, and more chemotherapy after that. A one-word text made April 25th, 2013 truly the perfect day. It read simply, “remission.”  That remission was the change we had been hoping for. It was the day it looked like my mother had won. That was also the day I finally caught my breath.

However, in August of 2013, my mother’s CA 125 – or Cancer Antigen 125, the blood marker that indicates when ovarian cancer cells, otherwise almost entirely undetectable until they are an even more dangerous tumor, are present in a woman’s blood, came back elevated. Upon testing, we found out that this was a bad change – a new tumor had begun to grow. My mother’s treatment began again on a new cocktail of drugs and our resolve got stronger.

Every chemo drug will cause an allergic reaction in less 10% of patients, and every patient usually has one drug that they are allergic to. My mother’s reaction, however, fell in the 1%. As I watched this so-called “miracle drug” tear apart my mother’s body, I watched her stubbornness grow stronger. It was working, sure. The tumor was shrinking. And my mother knew that. So she downplayed every single one of her symptoms – telling the oncologist that she wasn’t working hard enough to get rid of her own symptoms, and that she would have them gone before the next treatment. Her stubbornness paid off: she was told she no longer needed the toxic drug in her cocktail and returned to a much more manageable regime.

And for 6 months, that’s where we stayed. But then change took over again.

The night of my first meeting as a Relay Exec Chair, I spent my walk home on the phone with my mother. The undertones in her voice sounded weird, and I knew something was wrong. After remembering that she had had a CT scan the past Thursday, I put 2 and 2 together.

“What did they find, Mom?”

So we started again. They reintroduced Doxil into her cocktail, but my mom was prepared this time. But again, her reaction was in the 1%. So we made yet another change.

I Relay for more cakes that say this.

This journey has been full of changes. Lots of bad changes. Scary changes. Unsure changes. But what does good change look like?

It looks like the incredible people this terrible disease has brought into my life, namely the nurses who give my mom treatment week after week, who helped me finally realized that I was meant to be a Pediatric Oncology nurse. 

It looks like Relay For Life, an organization that has simultaneously consumed and changed my life for the better and given me another family to fight alongside. 

It looks like researching my own risk of finding an elevated CA 125, and though its much higher than the average person, knowing what to look for – knowing what that change looks like.

It looks like pouring sweat, blood, and tears into a cause we all care so deeply about.

It looks like seeing a cure for cancer in our lifetime.

Sitting in that Marriott in Georgetown, I knew my life had just changed forever, but I could never have known how or how much. My mom and I always joke that she’s the optimist and I’m the pessimist, but if there’s one thing that she has taught me through her incredible resolve, bravery, and gracious fight, its that “every cloud has a silver lining”. For all the changes in her life, she has found a silver lining to them all.

So I Relay for good change. For positive change. For the chance to be the generation who sees the end of cancer in our lifetime. I relay for everyone who Relays and helps finish the fight. I relay for caregivers, who make the fight a little bit easier. I relay for survivors, who fight every minute of every day. But most of all, I Relay for my mom, her incredible fight, and her immeasurable strength.

So here’s to you, Mom. I love you.

With RelayLOVE,

Keelin Sweeney 

Fundraising Committee Co-Chair

CURE4CAM

Why do you Relay?

            I relay because I want to honor my cousin Cameron and the beautiful, though short, life he lived. He was an incredible young man, who inspired and continues to inspire me every day.  At the age of 13, while battling leukemia, he showed his incredible strength and spirit to everyone around him.  His positive outlook on life in the midst of his battle inspired not only me, but many of those around him. Cameron started his own blog while he was sick, and used his posts to inspire others.  IN one of his posts he wrote, "The best kind of inspiration is the kind that makes you want to save a life."  This is the statement that Cure4Cam works for.  I relay because I'm inspired by Cameron...I relay because I want to help find a cure...I relay because I want to save a life.  We continue to fight the battle against childhood cancer.  Although Cameron is not here, he lives on in all of us and inspires us to continue to work for a cure. He never stopped, and neither will we.

Who was Cameron?

            My cousin Cameron was a very active athlete, runner and swimmer who balanced this active side with strong academics and a love of technology.   He was an extremely creative, inventive, humorous person.  Above all else however, Cameron had an unwavering positive attitude that was infectious to anyone who met him.  At no time in his life did these qualities become even more noticeable then throughout his battle with cancer.  On 11-11-11, at the age 13, Cameron was diagnosed with leukemia.  Despite the devastation of his diagnosis, he never once gave up hope, and he continued to live his life as the amazing talented upbeat young man he always was through the difficult treatments he faced. It would have been easy for someone in his situation to just let the experience tear them apart and change them, but Cameron seemed to become more determined then ever to not only beat his cancer, but to teach others about the experience and inspire others to make a difference in the treatment of pediatric cancer.  Cameron created a blog of his own to share his story and inspires others (www.camcreator.com). It showed how wise he was beyond his years and inspired anyone young and old to make the most of their lives and look at every new opportunity as a challenge.  Sadly, after a difficult 7-month battle, in May of 2012 just after his 14^th birthday, Cameron passed away.  While he is gone, his spirit truly lives on in so many. 

How I developed Cure4Cam and the “HOOS Swam 4 Cam" Campaign:

            Cameron was an avid athlete his entire life. He played all kinds of sports when he was young, but he was an exceptional cross country runner and swimmer. As The Cure4Cam Childhood Cancer Foundation got its start we really focused on building off Cameron’s talents and the communities surrounding them to gain support and build awareness. At home, in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, we started with several 5k runs and relay events. We then reached out to the very strong swimming communities surrounding Cameron and his family.  Since its development in late 2012, Cure4Cam has continued to grow throughout many states, and has raised much needed awareness and funding for research.  

To date, the organization has raised and donated over $360,000. When I started attending school here at UVA, I knew I wanted to bring Cure4Cam to our campus. I knew the best way to start that was through my network as a student-athlete.  The men’s and women’s swim teams are never really in off season, so running an actual event was not really an option especially early in the year and through the winter.  Instead, I designed a virtual event for our team. 

I had our team commit to a one-month initiative to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to raise much needed money for childhood cancer research.  I called it “HOOS Swam 4 Cam”, and introduced my teammates to my cousin Cameron and his story.  This served to increase their support of the effort even more.  In order to connect our UVA swim team with Cameron and Cure4Cam, we pledged to swim 238 miles collectively a week, the distance from Cameron’s house (and the home of Cure4Cam) in Downingtown, PA to the AFC in Charlottesville, Virginia.  We successfully swam our committed total throughout the month of February, and proudly wore our “HOOS Swam 4 Cam” caps and t-shirts.  Through the efforts of my teammates, we raised $2600 for The Cure4Cam Childhood Cancer Foundation. 

 

How I made “HOOS Swam 4 Cam” a reality:

            The way “HOOS Swam 4 Cam” became a reality was two-fold.  First, I used the large supportive network I had in my teammates on the UVA swim teams.  I am blessed enough to have an amazing support system here.  I knew if I could connect them to Cameron’s story and introduce them to the amazing things he did and wrote about, they would be 100% supportive of the effort.   Once they read his story and his blogs they were inspired to help, and were all willing to do what they could to make “HOOS Swam 4 Cam” a reality.  Their connection to Cameron ensured an amazing effort from all of them.  Secondly, I knew I had to get the word out about the event and to not be shy about asking for peoples’ talents to help or for their donations to support us. Cure4Cam along with the talents of some of my teammates, constructed a flyer about our efforts, and through the team, we got the word out to seek support and donations.  

I had to learn not be shy in asking people for help and reminding my teammates to send it to family and friends.  I would advise anyone in a similar position to connect people to your story and personalize it, and to use the talents and resources of the people around you to help increase your success.  The more people are connected, the more support you will conjure up.

How to inspire others to take similar action 

            One of the most important ways to inspire others is to help them see they are capable of making a difference.  Cameron wrote about how important it was to use our own talents to make a difference.  Once people see their talents are needed and supportive they are more likely to take action.  Additionally, it is important to always show people how their efforts make/made a difference.  A lot of large prominent foundations do amazing things, but people are sometimes unsure of where their money goes and do not see an immediate impact from their efforts. It is always important to show and explain where money is going and what a big difference it is making.   Doing so helps to inspire others to not only get involved, but stay involved as well.

            Finally, I found it helpful to ensure others feel connected to the initiative or foundation. It was so important to introduce my UVA teammates to the Cure4Cam website and Cameron’s blog before we really got started with our projects. Helping people feel like Cameron was someone just like them made people want to give more of their time to Cure4Cam and give more of an effort. That connection to a cause is imperative to success.

Relay For Life would like to give a HUGE thanks to Shannon Rauth, a varsity Virginia swimmer, for sharing her amazing story and details about her successful campaign for Cure4Cam. 

RelayLove, 

Publicity Committee