On October 22^nd, 2008 my day began like any other, work and then picking up my kids after school.   Having promised my younger daughter, Eliyah, that we could get a pirate costume for Halloween, we headed to Party City. My phone rang as we were about to enter the store. It was my husband, Wink. He wanted to let me know about the results of my colonoscopy that I had had the previous week. "You have a carcinoid tumor", was what he said. I didn't know what a carcinoid tumor was, but the tone of his voice did not make it sound like a good thing. Feeling overwhelmed and unprepared for this kind of news, I promptly hung up on him and went to buy a pirate costume. Several hours later I was ready to attempt to understand what I had been diagnosed with. It was very hard for me to believe I had something wrong with me, I had just run my fastest half marathon 3 days before.

After an oncologist consult and many tests, I ultimately ended up in surgery on December 4th. The surgeon removed half my colon, 30 cm of my small intestine, and 12 lymph nodes. Three other small tumors were found during the surgery and the carcinoid had spread to one lymph node. During my hospital stay, one of the first questions I was asked was how the carcinoid had been detected so early. Carcinoid symptoms can be very confusing and most people are not diagnosed until the cancer has metastasized. I am one of the lucky ones, for me surgery is considered curative, but I will be followed for the rest of my life in case of any reoccurrence.

 

As I was recovering, I became very motivated to increase awareness about this type of cancer and find a way to raise money to fund research. Many sites about carcinoid cancer referenced The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (CFCF). It is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to discovering a cure for carcinoid cancer.

CFCF funds research of carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors.

CFCF directs 100% of all donations to cutting-edge research and has awarded over $4.5 million in Research Grants.

CFCF funds an aggressive, collaborative Research Action Plan and follows a three-step Research Road Map to a cure.

CFCF holds an annual Research Symposium and has a highly esteemed Board of Scientific Advisors.

 

In addition, one of their fundraisers was the Chicago Marathon, my home town. Even though I was very weak and walking across my kitchen felt like an Olympic event, I started to think about attempting my first marathon.

 

So, I am training and will be running the Chicago Marathon on October 11^th. This will be 10 months after my surgery and almost a year after my diagnosis. I am a survivor and want to give every person with carcinoid cancer the opportunity to say that!