With You, We Stand - 1/12/10
Brian McQuestion
McQuestion was 25 when he found out he had Ewing's sarcoma. Eight months of chemotherapy and five cancer-free years later, the 31-year-old now fundraises for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and other events that support cancer research. One of McQuestion's biggest events is the "Endure for a Cure" bike ride, which raised $25,000 in its first year. "I don't consider myself a hero, I am just raising money to fight cancer," he says. "Ultimately, cancer is treatable and research is critical to help save lives -- without research, treatments would not be found."
http://www.timesleader.com/features/25-year-old_cancer_survivor_rides_on__gives_back_01-05-2010.html
Alyssa Lewandowski and Kori Brown
Kori Brown, age 12, has a congenital blood disease; during trips to a local hospital for treatment she became friends with Alyssa Lewandowski, who was undergoing treatment for leukemia. Kori has gone on to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society in honor of her friend, and her family was recently featured on "Extreme Home Makeover"; they donated $50,000 of their winnings to help Kori launch her iroK Foundation, which helps families burdened by medical bills take care of day-to-day costs.
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_010232250.html?start:int=0
Doug Oxendine
Oxendine, an endurance sports enthusiast, recently learned he's facing a whole new kind of battle: he has blood cancer and is scheduled for a bone marrow transplant this spring. The 38-year-old Floridian has hiked 10 miles of the Grand Canyon, completed two triathlons and taken two 100-mile bike rides in the past two years. Now he's approaching his cancer treatment with the same endurance and temerity: "People would always ask me, 'how do you do it?' and I'd tell them that you just got to put one foot in front of the other," he says. "I can't slow down at this point; I have to keep going."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-disney-marathon-advance-0109-20100108,0,3055963.story
Melanie Bone
In this fantastic blog post on the Palm Beach Post's website, Dr. Melanie Bone, a cancer survivor, talks about her New Year's resolutions. "Cancer makes us preciously aware of our own mortality. Many survivors 'over-live' and try to do everything 'right' to guarantee longevity. Certainly, living a healthier lifestyle will help . . . For cancer survivors and for the rest of the world, may you live each day in 2010 in a way that makes you proud. Taking it one day at a time is a respected time-honored approach."
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/askalocaldoctor/2010/01/resolutions-and-reminders-same-for-cancer-survivors/
As always, we welcome you to share your stories with us in the comments below.
Posted by Meagan | January 19, 2010 12:03 PM
About 5 years ago my grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer and given less than 6 months to live. She had smoked for 40 years before that. As sad and tragic as the situation is, it was not unexpected. Just a few months later, she had half of her left lung removed and with that came the hope that the cancer was gone. And it was...from her lungs. The cancer had traveled to her brain which lead to multiple (4) brain surgeries. After each surgery she had to re-learn how to speak english (German is her first language.) and how to dress herself. She experienced what is called word-salad. Where she would say something that made absolutely no sense to any one, but she thought that it had come out completely normal. About 4 months ago they found cancerous tissue that was too deep to operate on. They tried whole head radiation and when that didn't work, they used concentrated radiation...and it worked. However, the radiation riddled her brain with holes causing dementia-like symptoms. I went to visit her this past weekend and she is at peace with her situation. She has decided that Cancer hasn't won, she just ran out of time to finish the battle. I know this site is for cancer survivors and I hope that I didn't take away from anyone's struggle. I just feel that someone needed to tell my grandmother's story. She deserves at least that. I wish you all luck with your battles. Keep fighting!!! I fully intend to. Because she may have "run out of time" but I will keep fighting until we win this battle.