By Jean Pullen
Life can change so fast. One day you can be training for a half marathon, and the next you can have cancer.
Cancer affects the lives of the young and healthy people just as much as it affects the old and sick.
According to the American Cancer Society, over 1,500 people die of cancer every day. That makes cancer the second most common cause of death in the U.S.
Cancer isn't always fair. Last week my mother, Kay Pullen, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That is why I have chosen to relay.
Two weeks ago I would never have thought that Relay for Life would have the significance that it does to me now.
After a nine mile training run a week ago Saturday, my mother noted pain in her stomach.
She thought it was a bit odd, but that she must have strained her abdominal muscles. On subsequent runs over the next few days, she had even more abdominal pain.
She then started to feel like her belly was swollen. Within a week it became apparent something was wrong.
She went in for blood tests and it showed that her liver enzymes were 30 times her normal level. The ultrasound showed she had a large mass on the right ovary, and what looked like tumors in the pelvis and abdomen.
This news was the beginning of her battle with ovarian cancer.
This news changed my family's life. It was hard to think of the possibility that my mom might not survive.
But with the power of positive thinking and prayer, my mother survived her surgery and had 80 percent of the cancer removed. My mom starts her first round of chemo next week.
This year's relay hit home. In the last week I have raised over $700 through friends and family who are rooting for my mother.
The research conducted through the American Cancer Society has raised the five-year relative survival rate cancers from 1996 and 2003 to 66 percent, which is up from 50 percent in 1975-1977, most of is due to earlier detection.
In addition, there are different cocktails of chemotherapy that work more effectively for different people, and there are ways to test, which chemotherapy medications will not work.
In the U.S., cancer accounts for one of every four deaths. This staggering statistic shows that cancer touches everyone in one form or another.
"I am relaying for my grandma, my uncle, and a family friend that have/had cancer. They are all really close to my heart," senior Marie Toulouse said.
Paige Hofbauer, top participant in donations said, "I relay for those people who can't relay because they are fighting this disease. One of my best friends died of cancer this last year, and another close friend was diagnosed recently. This year I am fighting for them."
Katie Carlos, senior Relay for Life coordinator said "I have been involved with Relay for the last seven years, since my dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Relay is a good way for me to remember and honor the person that I have lost, and to contribute towards a cure."
I hope that like Marie, Paige and Katie, I can fight hard this year because of the struggle my family has faced.
I have hope that in the future we will have a cure for cancer.
Tomorrow at 6 p.m., stop by the quad to kick off Relay for Life.
Jean Pullen is a senior accounting and finance major
