My Story

I remember the first time I heard the word cancer - I was quite young, and the patient was my grandfather.  He had a mass in his chest that the doctor’s felt was benign.  But after the 3rd “inconclusive” needle aspiration, my Poppy was convinced the tumor should be removed.  It turned out the tumor was in fact a (then) rare form of Lymphoma.

Then a few years later, in 6th grade I met a kid named Jamie.  Jamie was in remission from Leukemia that he had been diagnosed with a few years earlier.  He and I were classmates all through middle school and into 11th grade.  During that time, he relapsed at least two times that I can think of.  I’m honestly not sure how Jamie is doing… we lost touch when I moved to North Carolina my senior year of high school.

Senior year was a transitional phase for me.  I had relocated from Daytona Beach to a rural town, Mt. Pleasant.  Culture shock aside, I thoroughly enjoyed Mt. Pleasant High School.  I ran cross-country, and cheered for basketball.  I had planned on running track in the Spring…. but was stopped by my own diagnosis with cancer.

Shortly after my 18th birthday I went to the doctor to investigate the “muscle knots” I had in my shoulder region.  I figured they were from the increased weight lifting and upper body workouts due to cheerleading.  It turns out these muscle knots were actually swollen lymph nodes.  I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  A rare, but treatable form of blood cancer.

The first step in my treatment was establishing the stage of my Lymphoma.  I had a surgical biopsy to remove a lymph node in my left shoulder, a needle biopsy to confirm if the swelling in my groin was in fact cancer, and one final bone marrow biopsy taken from my spinal cord.  We learned a few things during the “staging” of my cancer.

1. Waiting for the results is one of the toughest parts of the battle (assuming, of course, that you win).
2. I was highly allergic to Vancomycin… it’s not fun to be allergic to IV Drugs.
3. The biopsy in my groin and bone marrow were negative.
4. Valium isn’t so bad :)
5. I was diagnosed as Stage II Hodgkins, although physiologically I was likely Stage III and the needle biopsy of my groin had hit a “lucky” spot that showed a false negative.

My team of doctors at Northeast Medical Center (a Duke-affiliated hospital) prescribed 6 months of ABVD, the gold-standard chemo treatment for Hodgkin’s.  After that, they would assess my status, and then radiate as needed to ensure the cancerous nodes were completely eradicated.

Chemotherapy meant a weekly trip to the cancer ward in the hospital.  Treatments lasted only a couple of hours; sped up by the portacath that allowed for higher doses of the poisonous drugs to be delivered straight to my heart instead of through a standard IV.  In addition to the medicine, they also pumped large amounts of saline solution through the line… this made most patients extremely cold.  There was actual a special cabinet that warmed blankets - a nice treat, I guess.

My chemotherapy went relatively well.  I had good days, and bad.  But, as an ornery teenager, I toughed it out with a grimace\smile.  I even managed to talk my parents into letting me take a week’s vacation to Myrtle Beach after high school graduation.  On the condition that I return home mid-week to receive another chemo treatment.  I arrived on time, with a fresh new ear piercing.  My parents and nurses were less than pleased.

As summer wound-down, I geared up for my first year of college at UNC-Charlotte.  I was going to live on campus, and commute 30 minutes north to Concord every morning for radiation therapy.  Radiation treatment was quick… but not painless.  It involved being strapped down to a table, including a face mask that locked so tight it left a mesh pattern on my face that resembled Spiderman’s costume.  The restraints were to make sure I didn’t move during the treatment.  My chest and neck were also tattooed and sharpied so that I looked a bit like a treasure map.  I was not allowed to wash the sharpie away between treatments.

The treatments left horrible radiation burns.  My skin turned purple and unbelievably sensitive to touch.  Wearing a seatbelt or a back pack was extremely painful.  To help alleviate the burns I was prescribed a special ointment that contained silver and had to be hand-mixed by the pharmacist.  It helped, I guess.

Finally, in September 1999 after 7-ish months, I was given a clean bill of health.  I went on to drop out of college, get a job, and party like a rock star.  I lived life hard and fast for a few years while I sorted things out in my head.  I guess you could say it was a not-so-healthy form of therapy.

I moved back to Florida a few years later.  Soon after starting at International Speedway Corporation, I met Bob Stengel.  Bob was a coach for a marathon team that benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  He convinced me to join the team, and I completed my first marathon in San Diego.  Since starting with the team I’ve completed three marathons, and been an Honored Hero, sharing my story in hopes of inspiring fellow teammates to keep going during the most difficult parts of training and races.

This year, Bob passed the reins to me.  Now, I am coaching 20 participants for the Walt Disney Marathon, and simultaneously training for my 4th marathon in Paris 2011.

Team In Training has been one of the most positive things I’ve done with my life.  Every Saturday morning, I drag myself out of bed to participate in something dear to my heart, something larger than me… the fight against blood cancers.  In the 20+ years since its inception Team In Training has raised over $1 BILLION for cancer research and patient services.

I hope you’ll join me in the fight either by making a donation, or joining the team.  There are still 900,000 Americans facing blood cancer, and they need our help!

- Brent

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